The Last Amazons Complete!
by Dixxy Mouri
Summary: Sequel to AOTS. As the boys adjust to life in Boston, Sam continues to hide from her own blood soaked past. Little does she know but the past is going to come back to haunt her, and now Sage is caught right in the middle of it! OBSOLETE but still COMPLETE
1. Chapter One

The Last Amazons

By Dixxy

Chapter One: The Horrible History of Samantha Thomas

(Sam)

No matter how much time passes, no matter how long my wounds have been healing, I will never be able to erase the memories. The memories of my life have not always been pleasant ones. One would hope their memories consisted of day trips, birthday parties, and weddings. Mine's been of abuse, wars, and funerals. 

I usually find myself wishing that I'll dream of something nice, like some good times with my only close relative, my Aunt Ella, or of some sort of a harebrained scheme my best friend Rona Santana and I pulled off. Or even of some trip to an ice cream parlor with my kind-of-sort-of-but-not-really-steady-boyfriend Sage Date. Anything like that would be so much better than waking up screaming. 

My dreams have consisted of visions from my life as a Senshi, which for the most part has been great, but the horrible moments in fights for my life are always the most memorable. When I was being taunted by my adversary (but now good friend) Cara and provoked into using a power neither of us knew I had. Watching my best friend, possessed, kidnapping another of my friends (Keisha Narrlobi) and then having to fight the newly possessed one. About the time I met Sage, which, should seem like a good time considering my good words on him earlier, but we met as captives to our enemy, Lady Trulpa. Everything I saw in the Under City, whether it was just the streets itself or the last battle with the demon empress, also haunted me. 

These dreams I can live with. I'm destined to be Samantha, Halo of the Ronin Senshi. It's the dreams of my parents that I wish I could live without. 

For the first five years of my life, my parents and I lived together. My mother was a kind and gentle Japanese woman who was good friends with Ella, my father's sister. My father, on the other hand, was a rough-edged and all out violent Australian blonde. I hate that man. I hate that I inherited my appearance from him, and it's absolutely torture every time I look in the mirror and see part of him staring back at me. That's why I always cover one of my eyes; I'm ashamed of the face I've got because it looks like his. I have his height, I have his strengths, I like the same foods he ate, and sometimes I feel like the only difference between us (physically) is our genders. Ella and my friends try to tell me otherwise, but I have trouble believing them. 

If you don't already know, I hate my father because he killed my mother. He killed her when I was five. My mother found out something about my father that he didn't want her to know- I always thought it was a mistress or a gambling addiction. In a fit of rage he grabbed a baseball bat and beat my mother with it. I watched in horror as my mother's blood was soaked up by the carpet. Aunt Ella arrived just in time to scare my father off and get me and my mother on the way to the hospital. But it was no use. My mother was dead before we got there. Her last words were "Cyan's diary has the truth. Find it, Butterfly."

For the longest time, neither me nor Ella had a clue what my mother wanted. I knew Butterfly was my mother's nickname for me (as a little kid I loved butterflies to no end), but we had no idea who Cyan was and what the importance of his or her diary was. It was one of the things that haunted me. It was something I didn't understand and I wanted to figure out. 

My father was arrested shortly after that. For the next several days while I mourned my mother's death, I was also afraid my father would come after me. That he would break out of jail and get me and Ella. My aunt assured me that he wouldn't get us, and it turned out she was right. A riot broke out the week after he got in and was apparently killed in the riot. One of the guards found his body and put it in some sort of a "jail morgue". I don't know if there's an official name for it, but a place where the police put bodies of dead prisoners who died from either execution, old age, or, in my father's case, a riot.

After my father's death, my aunt realized that I'd been dealt some serious mental and emotional damage, so she decided that she was going to try and salvage what was left of my innocence and bring me far away from the memories. To the United States of America. Boston, my home for the past ten years. But it was either too late or not enough- I hated men. I saw what my father did to my mother. I was afraid it would happen to me. So for the ten years I lived in Boston I was cold and cruel to any boys or men I met- teachers, fellow students, and neighbors alike. And I had an especial dislike for baseball players because they were always around the thing that had killed my mother. Because of the constant reminder I have of my father, it always stays fresh in my mind. My mother's screams for mercy. The grunts of my father with each blow with the bat.

The Ronin Senshi changed some of that. I still can't go anywhere near Fenway Park, but my coldness to men has lessened. Mike and Anubis helped out a lot. Mike was taking care of a little girl who'd lost her mother in a car crash (which Mike had to prove to me by showing me the clipping of the obituary he'd saved on Sue Lee's request) and was doing a good job of taking care of her. Anubis was trustworthy, too, and after the McDonald's incident seemed too stupid to try and kill one of us. Course, once he got a grip he proved to be very intelligent and very capable, but he was all right. Well, when there's not an Orange Julius stand within a fifty-yard radius, anyways. . .

Trulpa, believe it or not, was another good help. I'm serious. Aside from hating men, I thought that women were all on the same side. That we all had to fend for each other. Then I find out about Trulpa and my opinions begin to sway, and for a while I was beginning to change my feelings. Though I still hated most men and made a rude comment during the Kaze crisis. 

The biggest influence was easily Sage. The circumstances we met under were kind of bad, what with Anubis releasing his bombshell on us and me and Rona running off, but Sage did everything he could do to try and get me to trust him. And it did work, and I eventually started feeling strong emotions for him I couldn't understand. Part of me was convinced I was in love with him, but the rest of me just laughed. Me, in love with Sage? Yeah, right. I didn't do that kind of stuff.

Did I?

Sometimes I have no clue what I feel about thing now a days. Things have changed so much. Fighting in the school yard seems like child's play compared to what it felt like before I fought against Dynasty soldiers and Dark Warladies. Men aren't as intimidating anymore (though I still can't bear to look at a baseball game). Heck, I have three guy friends!

First off, there's Sage. Duh. My sort-of boyfriend. It's weird whenever we go out for ice cream or something since he looks kind of like me, despite the species difference. Sage is the last (we think) survivor of the Flitterees, the people who inhabited the Dynasty before the demons took over. The fairy like people has wings of either a butterfly like pattern (the Intellectuals) or wings that resemble an element- fire, thunder, water, ect (the Elementals). Sage is a Thunder Elemental, since his wings are made of thunderbolts. Its weird touching them, if he has them out. He's got a playful side that didn't really come out too often before he learned of his heritage, but now it's out most of the time unless he has to be serious. But it's not really considered unusual for him to make the lights in a house flick off, or for him to become invisible and sneak up on you. I hate it when he does that to me, but it's funny when he does to other people.

Kento is one of Sage's friends. He's been around- he's lived in China, Japan, the Dynasty (though he wishes he hadn't- I don't blame him) and now Boston. His English isn't very good, but it's been getting better. Sage tells me that Kento used to be a lot like me- the hard headed one who rushed off into battle with a hefty appetite and punch that packs a wallop. Well, the stomach and the strength haven't changed, but he's much more calm and organized that the person that I've been told about. Maybe it has to do with being able to see into the future, or being able to change into any animal or person he wants to. It makes me wonder if I'll ever go through such a dramatic change for some reason.

Cye, Sage's other friend, hasn't changed much from what I've been told. He's shy, quiet, and a little more feminine that the other two. The guy cooks and reads. Don't get me wrong, I've seen him play video games against his father (Anubis- very slight family resemblance but not a hell of a lot) and he definitely laughs whenever someone lets a belch or a fart rip, but he's so much more. . . naïve. Hard to believe he's one of the most dangerous members of our suicide mission against the Dynasty, being the Child of Destiny and what not. 

I'm glad that my life is different. I know I don't have to run from every other man that walks down the street. I'm no longer convinced that the male half of the human race is out to get me (though I do realize there are a few sick bastards out there- my dad was one of them). I realize that it's an almost equal balance of good and evil amongst men and women. Ying and Yang to the max.

Still, loving a man is different. Yup, I can trust a man. Check and double check that. But loving a man? Being able to spend lots and lots of time with someone and be more than friends? To be able to share intimate problems with someone other than your closest girlfriends (in my case, the other Senshi, though it's usually Ria or Rona)? To be able to hug and kiss someone and not gag? That seems so. . . weird. And then there are so many levels are romance, like live-in boyfriends, fiancés, sex, and marriage! Oh well, I'm not really close to any of those points. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, heh. I do that sometimes. 

Keisha seems to think that Sage is a good place to start, maybe a good place to stay. I mean, there'd be a lot going there. One, he's a sweet heart. Two, he's cute. Three, nice butt. VERY nice butt. Four, fellow Ronin. No need to worry about explaining to some Average Joe I might need to escape from a date to go save the world. Sage would have to come with me. Five, he's tall, and with my height, I need a tall guy so I don't have to bend over if I want to kiss him or hit him. Six, he's not into drugs or cheating or anything. And seven, he seems to be interested in me. Well, interested a little bit. I don't think I'm particularly pretty- I'm down right intimidating, kinda like Sally on _3rd Rock From The Sun_. Tall, blonde, strong, and a good reason for men to run away screaming. I'm also not as pretty as her. Ella says I'm very pretty, but she's my only living relative- of course she's going to say I'm pretty to butter me up! Still, the question remains: IS Sage Date (pronounced "Da-tay". Personally, I think it sounds French, but Sage says its Japanese) in love with me or not?

I was going to find that out. . .


	2. Chapter Two

The Last Amazons

By Dixxy

Chapter Two: Adjusting to a New Life

(Sage)

It seems like I find myself sitting on a lot of roofs. Roofs are places I go to think. Clearings to meditate work too, but something about rooftops are nice. I mean, you're out in the sunlight (or the moonlight, depending on the time of day and time of the month), sometimes you get a nice breeze, and it's an awesome place to watch a sunrise or sunset.

Which is why I'd dragged Cara, Mike, Sue Lee, and Kento onto the roof with me. To watch the sunrise.

"I've never watched a sunrise," said Sue Lee. The nine year old sat anxiously on the roof, looking up into the dark sky. She looked at everyone else. "Have YOU ever seen a sunrise?"

"I have, but it was over four hundred years ago," said Cara, laying sprawled out on the rooftop, her camera by her side. One of Cara's obsessions is photography. The other obsessions are Mike and. . . toasters. Yes, toasters. She thinks they're the greatest invention in the world. Personally, I'm partial to radios and CDs. 

Mike was looking up quietly from his seat next to Cara. "I've done this a few times, but I don't do it often," he said. "Sunrises are one of the most beautiful things you can lay eyes on. The colors are absolutely breathtaking."

Kento, who was wearing sunglasses, swimming trunks, and flip flops as well as sipping lemonade, laughed. "He does this all the time. Back in Japan he did this daily." He took a slurp of lemonade and sighed in pleasure, lifting his sunglasses and looking at the glass of yellow juice in mild amazement. "Who'd have thought that concentrate would taste this good?"

"He gets up this early all the time?" asked Sue Lee, turning to Kento. 

My friend nodded, removing his sunglasses, folding them up and holding them in his hand. "Yup. Up by five every single morning."

"And you sleep until ten," I said. "The only person I know who's worse than you is Rowen." I cringed at the mention of my old best friend. I missed him and everyone I knew back in Japan. It was going to take a while before I totally accepted our whole "never see our family or friends for the rest of our lives" thing. I don't think I ever will, but because of Trulpa, we have to act like Sage Date, Kento Rei Fuang, and Cye Mouri are all dead, probably lying in some unmarked grave or at the bottom of a lake, and not watching sunrises halfway across this planet.

"Look!" said Cara, pointing out on the horizon that lay just above the tree line. She whipped up her camera and started to take pictures. "Oh, it's so pretty! Sue Lee, look at all the colors! It's amazing! Oh, I forgot how beautiful sunrises were!"

Sure enough, the goldenrod circle began to rise in the east, taking our breaths away. I gasped in awe as the sky became a wash of pinks, purples, oranges, and reds. The sun twinkled and glistened in the sky like a giant topaz jewel and felt as welcoming as a homemade breakfast with all the trimmings. I closed my eyes and relished as the sun's rays began to warm the city of Boston, making me smile. 

"Great idea, Sage," said Mike. "This is cool."

"Look at the sky! It's all pretty colors!" said Sue Lee. 

Kento laughed. "Dude. And I thought the sun was only capable of sun burns and skin cancer."

"That's our fault for building factories and using too many aerosol cans," I said. "You know, Ozone Layer, Greenhouse Affect, that stuff." I laid myself down on the roof and soaked up the rays. This was bliss. This was a perfect moment. 

~

Later that day, Kento and I met Cye and the girls at Quincy Market. We just wanted to spend the day hanging out all around Boston, checking out some of the sights and stuff. When we got to the meeting place (right outside of the WB Studio Store), only Sam, Ria, and Cye were there. That meant that Rona, Sara, and Keisha had yet to show. Cye spotted us and waved us over, Sam smiling shyly at me and Ria yelling out her normal greetings, which typically could be heard from as far away as Illinois.

"Hiya, guys!" said Ria. "What's up?"

"We watched a sunrise this morning," said Kento. "It was pretty."

"Yeah, sunrises are pretty," said Sam, sighing happily as she leaned up against the brick building, hands behind her head. "The birth of a new day."

Cye nodded. "I love watching the sunrise or the sunset over the horizon line of the ocean. The water reflects the suns rays and it just looks so. . . relaxing," he said. He smiled. "THAT'S the way to watch the sun rise or set."

"Kento!" 

Kento was nearly knocked over as Keisha rammed into him, throwing her arms around his neck and glomping him from behind so it looked like he was giving her a piggy back ride. Kento looked up at his smiling girlfriend, grinning. Keisha hugged her head, rubbing her cheek to his hair. "Miss me?"

"How could I not?" he said. Keisha laughed and let herself down so the two could hug (properly) and briefly kiss. Ria gagged and the darkest skinned member of our group shot her a look that screamed murder. Wildfire of the Senshi just sent her a pair of thumbs up and grinned. Keisha rolled her eyes.

"Keisha, you make me sick." We all turned to see Rona and Sara walking over. Sara had made the comment. 

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" asked the Hispanic Strata of the Senshi. Rona stopped before us, her hands on her hips and her head slightly tilted to the side.

"Any ideas?" asked Sam. "We never really discussed what we were doing today."

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Ria Carmichael and her gang of losers. Did you just induct three more goons, or are those boys gonna be bait for Sam's next feeding?" (Author's Note: Get ready for an extremely unwanted guest star!)

My head turned to see a tall, red haired girl with deep green eyes, though she looked nothing like Ria. Just by looking at her in the way she wore mini skirt and halter top and the way she wore her make up that she was definitely a "popular" kid. You know, the ones who are always mean to the "nerds" and "freaks". 

"Who's this bimbo?" asked Kento. 

"And what whore house did she crawl out of?" said Cye.

Ria sighed heavily. "This is Sheila McConner. She goes to school with us, though it would be so much more pleasant if she went to school in Alaska," the Senshi of Fire said bitterly. She turned to the other redhead. "What do you want, Sheila? Modest clothing? Good taste? Or would you rather have someone try to fix that ugly mug you call a face?"

Sheila rolled her eyes. "I happen to be much more attractive than you, Carmichael. If you knew what good taste was then you'd be in something other than that ridiculous get up," she said. 

I looked over at Ria. Ria was wearing red high tops, a pair of denim shorts, and a red T-shirt. "What's wrong with what Ria's wearing?" asked Rona, scratching her head. "Looks fine to me."

Sheila laughed. "It's so, unfashionable."

"What, because she didn't buy it from some designer store?" asked Sara. 

"You should talk. You and those dorky trench coats and boots you wear all the time make you look like a pint sized secret agent," said Sheila. She looked me up and down, then followed suit with Kento and Cye. "So, who are these fine young men, anyways? They seem too good-looking to be hanging out with the likes of you losers. Why don't you three come with me? I have two friends who'd love to help me show you all a good time, if you know what I mean."

I went wide eyed and suddenly felt a loss for words. Cye's cheeks turned an interesting shade of red. I wasn't sure if he was really angry or really embarrassed. Kento just placed one of his fists on his hips and stared Sheila down. "I'm Kento, that's Cye, and this is Sage. Now, just to let you know, I'm currently in a loving relationship with Keisha, so no, I don't want a 'good time' from you. Second, Cye and Sage, I'm very sure, aren't looking for a 'good time', either. And if you have nothing better to do that pick fun at Ria for actually wearing clothes and trying to get you and your friends laid with men you hardly know, then I won't waste my time with you since you're just going to be another two-dollar-slut someday. So you might as well just pick a street corner and start offering grown men quickies for fifty bucks a pop and get the hell out of here." Kento nodded as Sheila's jaw dropped like someone had dropped a five pound weight on her tongue. He (very eloquently, I must say) brushed her away with the flick of his hand, gently grabbed Keisha and made one of the coolest Public Displays of Affection I have ever seen. Keisha seemed a bit surprised, but seemed to enjoy it. 

Sheila, not being able to take that someone had talked her down, walked away in disbelief, causing the UNOCCUPIED (cough, cough) Senshi to cheer wildly and hoot insults at her. In fact, a few people we didn't know cheered in, some chanting some very nasty insults, some that even I wouldn't repeat because they're so bad. 

Cye looked at Sheila with his eyes wide and his bottom lip pouted out a little bit. "Somehow, I get the strangest feeling that I knew her in another life," he said.

"What makes you say that?" asked Sara. 

The youngest of the Ronin Warriors shrugged. "I don't know, I feel like if things were different, then I'd know her from somewhere else, it's giving me the creeps because I know it would be something bad." (Author's Note: Looks like the EoI universe just won't leave him alone. . .)

Ria shrugged. "Well, this is this life, you're going to end up with Sara, and you have no reason to be afraid of her."

Cye (wisely) ignored Ria. "So, now what?"

"All in favor of tracking down Sheila, getting some paint filled water balloons and flinging them at her and her friends say 'charge'!" said Ria, throwing a fist high into the air.

The group remained silent. Ria pouted, weakly said charge, and said she was going to the joke shop to buy the biggest pack of water balloons she could find, mumbling something about the lack of team work. 

The rest of us stared at her in shock and stupor. "How's about the rest of us just check out a movie and go out to lunch after that?" Kento suggested. 

Sara clapped her hands and jumped up and down. "Movie, movie, movie!!!!!"

"She's beginning to act like her mother," said Rona. "That's our cue to bring her to the latest slasher fic before she starts wearing headbands, aprons, and flowered house dresses."

Sara's mouth dropped as if she were starting to tell us off, and the rest of us nodded and started off towards the movie theatre, (literally) dragging Sara in tow.


	3. Chapter Three

The Last Amazons

By Dixxy

Chapter Three: Beginning to Unfold

(Sam)

The movie stunk. It was some really cheap horror flick. Why we went is still a mystery to this day, but we were all showing signs of boredom. Sara and Cye joined in with a bunch of other kids at throwing popcorn at the screen. Kento and Keisha reverted to Mystery Science Theatre mode and started to make wisecracks about the movie. Rona joined in soon after, adding in some really. . . colorful, wisecracks. Yes, colorful is the best term to come up with some of the comments.

After the movie, we all figured that we'd better check on Ria. If she had gone through with her plan to bombard Sheila with paint filled water balloons, then she'd obviously forgotten that Sheila has a lot of friends. Okay, I would rather call them vultures or groupies. And despite the fact that Ria is a trained Ronin Senshi with some minor training in martial arts and major training in street fighting (the other girls all left the studio after our instructor wouldn't promote them), she was still outnumbered. 

Luckily, we found Ria inside the Quincy Market Place cafeteria amongst five or six food containers. Her head was down on the table and she looked, depressed. "Ria, what did you do?" asked Sara.

"I saw Sheila with a crew of football players looking for some action and realized that my idea wasn't a good idea," she said miserably. "It would only end with my own complete humiliation anyways."

Kento sighed heavily. "It was a dumb idea to begin with," he said. He eyed one of the food containers that still had an untouched piece of pizza. "Are you-"  
"No, Kento, you can have it," said Ria, pushing the container over before lazily dropping her head back onto her hands. 

"Okay, Ria, there was must be a better reason that you're depressed, since you never let her get the best of you," I said. "What made you so upset?"

Ria sniffed. "They said I was a dike, okay? They said that I was a lesbian. Sheila said that the way I act and the way I dress and the way I talk, it sounds like I'm gay. What if I am!?" It was then I noticed tears were pouring down her face. 

"Oh, come on, Ria, what does she know?" said Rona. She sat down next to Ria. "I know for a fact that you've turned your head as many times as I have towards a hot guy with a tight butt if not more so."

"Yes, and you were checking out Kento just as much as I was when we went to the studio-" Sara started, then paused, obviously just then remembering that Kento was staring at her bug eyed with the pizza hanging out of his mouth. "I'll. . . go get an ice cream now." With that, she bolted, screaming as she bumped into poor Kento on her way out. The Ronin of Hardrock just stared at Sage and Cye in confusion, while Keisha started to laugh.

Ria watched Sara run. "I don't see why she ran off. All three of you guys are cute," she said. "There is no doubting that."

I sighed heavily. "Ria, it's not a big deal. You know how many times people have thought I was gay? I'm not. I'm just edgy around guys because of what happened between my parents," I said.

"Yeah, and people in Japan accused me of Cye being lovers because we hung out and went on camping trips together. Plus, he was living at my house with my family," said Kento. 

"Where did you get that idea?" asked Cye, like he was hearing this for the first time.

Kento shrugged. "'Cause every time someone said that I told them I'd strangle them with their own intestines if they said it again," he said. "I thought you knew about that." Cye shook his head. "Oh. Well now you know."

Sage cleared his throat. "Whether or not they call you gay is beside the point. I have a gay uncle on my adopted mother's side of the family, and there's nothing wrong with him," he said. "Homosexuality is not something that shouldn't be made fun of. Some people just like the same gender in a sexual way, that's all."

Ria looked up at us. "Is that true?" she said.

"Yes!" said Sage. He stood up on the table and began to flail his arms around. This got the attention of a few people. "I bet that there's someone- a guy- out there that's right for you!"

"Maybe even your Wildfire in Shining Mystical Armor," I whispered to Ria, who blushed in response.

"You will find a heterosexual life partner some day, and you will be happily in love! Do not let her get in the way of who you are!" Sage said.

"Kid, get down off the table and shut up!" someone yelled. "You're a complete moron!"

Sage flipped the bird to the offender and sat down. "What does HE know?"

Keisha bit her lip. "Um, Sage, that was probably the wrong man to finger."

"Why?" asked Sage.

Rona and Sara took on identical looks of concern. When I looked in the direction of who it was, I suddenly realized why they were all so worried about Sage's act of defiance. "That's Mr. Wimbly. In a few weeks, he's going to be your principal, Sage" I rambled off.

Sage's eyes (well, the visible one, anyways) went bug-eyed and he looked like he choked. "Oops."

Ria sighed heavily. "Thanks for your words of encouragement, guys. My reputation as a straight woman might be ruined thanks to the human bicycle, but at least I feel better about it."

"Human bicycle?" asked Cye. "What does she-"

Kento coughed. "I believe that she's implying that everyone's been for a ride." Cye's mouth made an "o" and he quieted. 

Rona sighed heavily, blinked, then looked at her watch. "Crap! I forgot that I have to baby-sit for my neighbor! Dad'll kill me if I don't get over there in time!" she said.

"Then why did you make plans to hang out with us?" I asked.

Rona laughed sheepishly. "Hey, I sat through a two and a half hour movie, didn't I? I was planning on leaving around this time anyways," she said before running out and waving her good-bye.

Cye stood up. "You know, I'd better go get Sara. She might be doing what Ria did and that can't be healthy," he said.

"Thanks for your concern," Ria added, standing up. She then put her hands over her stomach. "Then again, go get her. I don't think the sweet and sour chicken is agreeing with the triple-fudge sundae."

"They never do," said Kento. "I learned that one the hard way. Get to the bathroom and buy some good anti-acids on your way home." Ria nodded before running to the bathrooms with her hand over her mouth. Cye took that opportunity to look for Sara.

"Well, this day worked out well," said Sage. He sighed heavily. "I'm gonna go lick my wounds from that last stunt. I'll be at the docks by the aquarium if anyone needs me." With that, the sulky Flitteree headed off, his head hanging down and his shoulders drooped. If his wings were out, they would've been sagging, too. I watched him leave and walk towards the aquarium.

Keisha cleared her throat, looking at me. "Go after him," she insisted. 

I blinked. "Why?"

Kento grinned. "'Cause you'll have the best luck at cheering him up, that's why."

"Why me?" I asked.

Hardrock of the Senshi began to tick off her fingers as she began to list of reasons. "Because you're both lightning bugs, you have some feelings for each other that neither one of you will admit, and it's the right thing to do because. . . because you're going to go talk to him!" she listed.

"Fine, fine, I'm going, I'm going!" I said. I went off after him.

~

After I arrived at the docks, I started to look for Sage and think over what Keisha had said. I knew we were both Halos, but the feelings? I knew I had some weird emotions about Sage, but did he have the same thoughts?

I decided to take a quick break and leaned up against a wood post. _Let's see. . . when I think about Sage, I think about. . . Flitterees, hair, and his smile, and his laugh, and his butt, his Flitteree induced personality, warm sunsets on the beach, romantic candlelit dinners-_

I stopped myself. These thought about beaches and candlelit dinners. . . what they heck was happening to me?!

Okay, I'll admit that when Trulpa kidnapped the boys after they finally figured out how to rid Cye of the whole Child of Destiny/Jewel of Death thing, I thought I loved him. After all was said and done with that, though, I wasn't so sure. Was I in love with him, or was it just my armor getting worried about him?

That was when I spotted him down the gangway, leaning up against the rope side rails and staring out at the ocean. I slowly made my way over to him, my stomach beginning to feel weird. _Oh, c'mon, Sam, you've been alone with Sage before. . . why the butterflies know?_ Well, the times I'd been alone with him before weren't exactly casual situations, now were they?

"Sam?"

Sage caught me off guard by seeing me before I got over there. "Oh, uh, hi Sage."

"What are you doing here?" he inquired. Sage turned to look at me. "Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

I cleared my throat. "Well. . . um. . . about what you did. . . Mr. Wimbly. . . he's a jerk anyways. . . he shouldn't have said what he said. . ."

Sage raised his (visible) eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah!" I said. "Even after the majority of the school requested a student council, he denied it. And he used our fund raising money to fix up the conference rooms and the teacher's lounge when we wanted to use it to fix up the bathrooms and the cafeteria! Plus, he also has a few hired stool pigeons that bust kids up for some really stupid things." I grinned. "I'm actually kind of happy, now that I think about it, someone finally gave him the finger. He's going to be afraid of you, you know."

Sage laughed. "Really?" I nodded. "Well, I guess I showed him!"

"You sure did," I said. I laughed. "I'm sure that'll earn you a ton of respect amongst some of the kids in school."

"Yeah, the reputation as a troublemaker from the teachers and staff," said Sage. He sighed heavily. "I've always been the good child, too."

"Oh, everyone knows Mr. Wimbly a jackass," I said. "The teachers will probably just tell you that as long as you don't deface school property or do anything too-too bad you'll be fine."

Sage's eyes brightened. "Really?"

I nodded. "Feel better?" I asked.

Sage stepped a little closer and put a hand on my shoulder. "Yes, I do feel better."

"Good, I'm glad," I said. I looked into his eyes and smiled, placing the back of my hand against his cheek. "You're going to fit in just fine."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said, laughing softly. Before either of us said anything else, the two of us just leaned in close to each other, closed our eyes, and kissed.


	4. Chapter Four

The Last Amazons

By Dixxy

Chapter Four: Mission Complete

(Ella)

There are very few places on Earth that have been known to satisfy my every whim. Very few places where I feel at least a little happiness, despite whatever the situation was.

The shoe section at JC Penny. 

"Ella, look at these!" said Sally, Ria's aunt. She, Anubis, Cara and I had all gone out for a day of power shopping. Sally was looking at a gorgeous pair of leather high-heels with the little ankle straps. "Now these would look fabulous with that tan dress suit you have."

I looked over the pair she had. I nodded in approval. "You're right, Ella, these are cute. I'll take 'em!"

"Aren't you gonna try 'em on?" asked Sally, blinking at me in confusion. I laughed and sat down to try them on.

Cara, meanwhile, was looking at a pair of knee-length boots. I smiled at her. For someone who used to cause my niece so much distress, she actually turned out to be a sweetheart. She was just, mislead, during a difficult time in her life. The surprisingly second oldest of our group picked up the boots and brought them over to a chair to try them on.

Anubis was pouting in a chair over by the Nine West display, in an array of our shopping bags. He'd been a doll and offered to carry our bags for us. Now he seemed to be regretting that decision and was mumbling something about a conspiracy. 

I was finally satisfied with my shoes and put them back in the box and went to the counter to pay for them. After a few short minutes, the transaction was complete and I happily skipped over to Anubis with my bag.

Okay, so I'm thirty-two, does that mean I can't skip? Okay, okay, so I'm thirty-five. ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT, ALL RIGHT, I'LL ADMIT IT! I'M THIRTY EIGHT FLIPPING YEARS OLD!

"Another load to carry?" asked Anubis grouchily.

"No, I'll take it myself," I said, sitting down. "I'm just waiting for Cara and Sally to finish up, that's all, then we'll go get you an Orange Julius." Anubis' eyes widened in happiness. "I thought that would be your response, mate."

Anubis' eyes widened in a different kind of shock. "Mate!? Look, Ella, I respect you as a FRIEND but-"

"Mate is Australian slang for friend," I said.

"Oh, I get it," he said. "So you were acknowledging me as a friend."

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm surprised that you haven't heard Sam say anything like that."

"No, not really," said Anubis, shaking his head. He looked over to the register and saw the remaining members of our party on their way over. In response, the monk jumped up excitedly. "Ah, Sally and Cara seem to be finished. Can we go get the Orange Julius now, PLEASE!?"

I laughed. Deep down inside, he was still a little kid at heart. He never really got to experience childhood, and here he was, doing it now. "All right, my treat."

"Yay!"

~

I got home later that evening to find Sam sprawled out on the couch. "Hello, Ella," she said cheerily. "How was you day?"

The parental intuition I'd gotten from taking care of Sam for ten years kicked in. "All right Sam, you either had a really good day or you've done something exceptionally bad. Which one was it?" I asked, tapping my foot.

"Sage kissed me," Sam responded dreamily. 

My eyes widened. "And you didn't hit him?"  
"No!" she said, sitting up. "It was. . . wonderful."

I grinned. _Finally, _I thought to myself. "Tell me about it."

"Well, it started when Ria wanted to go bombard Sheila McConner with some paint filled water balloons, and then she overheard her saying that she thought Ria was a lesbian, so she got depressed. We found her in the food court at Quincy Market and Sage started one of those bit sit-com type speeches and some guy yelled at him. Sage fingered him and then we figured out it was Mr. Wimbly, so then he got depressed and he went to the docks. I went to go talk to him and after I buttered him up, we just, kissed," Sam blurted out before blushing. 

"Oh, now, now, love is a wonderful thing," I said, sitting next to my confused niece. "You know that you shouldn't be afraid of a man, least of all Sage. He couldn't hurt you even if he wanted to, and I don't think he'd do that."

Sam looked down at her lap and took sudden interest in a pencil she'd picked up off of our coffee table. "It's not that I'm afraid of. . . it's these new emotions I'm feeling. I'm scared of them."

I leaned back into the couch. "Love isn't a scary thing. But it can be painful. You do realize I was supposed to get married before you were born, right?"

My niece shook her head. "No, you never told me that."

"I had a fiancé, once. A long time ago. His name was Eddie. He was tall, thin, and had auburn hair that made me feel like a thousand butterflies had been released into my stomach at once," I said. I sighed at the memory of my Eddie. "He was killed in a car accident the week before our wedding was supposed to take place. I, I was devastated." With that, I began to cry. The memories of having to attend a funeral instead of a wedding on my wedding day, of having to pay for all these fees that I couldn't afford because of the cancellation, it all flooded back to me. I buried my face into my hands sobbed hysterically. 

Sam put an arm around my shoulder. "I'm sorry about your fiancé, Ella," she said. "But that was a long time ago. You, you need to start going out there and start dating again. No one will ever replace Eddie in your heart, but you have to move on."

I listened to her words. Sam wasn't very good at offering comforting words like, say, Keisha or Mrs. Lewis (although Mrs. Lewis occasionally made me want to get a gun and shoot either myself or her), but she did have a way of subtly getting her emotions across. She cared, but she couldn't express her feelings in words. I settled for a hug instead.

~

The following day, around five, the buzzer in our apartment sounded. Sam and I were both watching a movie (_Double Dragon_), and since Sam was in an awed stupor at watching Bo Abobo scaring the crap out of Jimmy and Billy, I got up to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hi, Ella? Is Sam home?"

"Sage?" I asked. "Yes, she is. You sure sound excited."

"Yeah, we both are!" the second voice belonged to Kento, but why was he going to see Sam, too?

"You boys coming up?" I asked. 

"Please?!" they both asked in a childish union. I had an odd feeling they rehearsed it, but shoved the thought aside and buzzed them in.

Sam was still oblivious to the world outside of the movie. So, doing what I always have down, I picked up the empty popcorn bowl and lightly bobbed her on the head with it. "Hey!" she said.

"Your little friends Sage and Kento are coming up. They seem excited about something," I said.

"About what?" asked Sam. "Kento learned to belch the alphabet?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Um, someone I don't think that's quite it, Sam. . ."

Sam shrugged. "They're guys, and don't guys do stuff like that?"

_Oh boy, _I thought. "Well, not always. You don't see Mike or Anubis doing that, do you?"

"Yeah, you're right," said Sam. "Anubis prefers the Star Spangled Banner."

I stared at my niece in disbelief for a few moments before a knock on the door sounded. Sam leapt out of her seat and opened the door. "Come in, boys," I said.

"Check us out!" said Sage. I looked up and saw the boys wearing blue and tan jock jackets, the blonde holding a football. "Guess who made the football team?" (Note: I don't know the school colors for any of the Boston schools, so I winged it with the colors of the jackets. The team name with also be invented)

"You two made the football team?" said Sam in disbelief. 

Kento shrugged. "Sage has got the best arm that the couch has ever seen and I can knock down three guys in a single go. We both need work of strategy but he loved us and begged us on his hands and knees to sign up. How could we refuse a groveling, grown man?" he said. 

I laughed. "And what brings you two to this neck of the woods to share the information with us?"

Sage shrugged. "You guys are closer to the school than anyone else," he replied. "We figured we'd save ourselves the trouble of back tracking all over Boston."

Sam laughed. "So, what positions are you guys playing?"

"Well, I'm gonna be a line-backer, whatever that is," said Kento. "The coach wants Sage to be a relief quarterback, whatever THAT is."

Sage's eyes widened. "Are you telling me you don't know how to play American football, Kento?" he asked slowly.

"Isn't just throwing that potato shaped ball around, knocking people down, and trying to get the ball to the big yellow pitchforks?" asked Kento. Sage slapped his forehead. Sam stared at Kento in some sort of a new light that was a bit duller than one might expect.

"Go talk to Anubis, Kento. RIGHT NOW," said Sam. "Him, or any of the adult male figures related to the Senshi. Trev and Ev, Emilio, Roger, Gregory-"

"Who are Emilio, Roger, and Gregory?" asked Kento. Sage nodded.

"Rona, Sara, and Keisha's fathers respectively," I said. "Also, try reading up on it at the library or something."

Kento nodded. "Okay, I'll go read about American football."

"Just call it football, Kento. Here, the football you're familiar with is called 'soccer'. And it's not that popular," said Sage, frowning. He chuckled. "I wonder what Cye'll do if he goes to see a game. . ."

"He'll swear at the referee just like any other self righteous British soccer fan if his team starts to loose," said Sam. "You guys want something to drink or anything?"

"Nah, we gotta go spread the good news once I teach Kento how to play," said Sage. He and Kento then turned and headed for the door. "Now Kento, this is a football."

"I know what that is!"

"The football is the key aspect to the sport of the same name. . ."

Sam and I just looked at each other for a few seconds before both of us were on the floor in hysterical fits of laughter.

~

Dixxy's Notes

Eiyp, sorry it took so long to update. I just went through a recent. . . mini-crisis over what to do with this whole series and I wasn't sure what I was going to do with myself, never mind the series. But now I know what I want to do. This series is going to continued on FF.Net but will no longer be found on Ronin Adventures, my website. In its place will be an alternate reality of sorts where the female armors don't exist. Trulpa didn't have an armor, no Senshi, ect. The Senshi will all appear, but in very, very different rolls. This series will continue on FF.Net, though, so don't fret about that.

Questions:

Kar-chan- If you want something else from me, then check out my profile for not only the other Senshi stories but a few other stories I've written. The best of these other stories? Either version of End of Innocence (they can be told apart easily- one is plain EoI and the other is marked EoI v2.0). Also on my profile are some of my favorite stories to be found here- "Intermezzo" is a riot and is something I've gone back to read three or four times. If all else fails, travel to Theria.Net or AmandaSwiftgold.Com, the two largest Ronin Warrior fanfic archives on the net. Swifty's site probably has about a thousand Fanfics by now and a crapload of Fanart to boot (especially on the Oekaki Drawing Board- some of it's pretty stupid (pineapples riding moose who attack stick figure Ronins stupid) but there are some absolutely breathtaking ones. 

I'll try to get more out, soon.

~Dixxy


	5. Chapter Five

The Last Amazons

By Dixxy

Chapter Five: A Very Revealing Confrontation

(Sage)

After Kento told me about five or six times he'd read up on the subject of American football, I decided to shut up on my little lecture. He'd figure it out. Well, eventually he would.

"So, Sage, how are you and Sam doing?"

I stopped on our way out the door of Sam and Ella's apartment building. WHAT did he just say!? Was he spying on us when he kissed? How the hell did Kento know? "Uh, wha?" was the best comeback I could come up with in my current tongue tie.

Kento sighed heavily. "You're going to have to get used to the fact that I'm a seer with minor mind reading abilities and until I can learn to control them, I'm going to see some things you don't want me to see. So, what's going on between you two?"  
"We kissed yesterday, that's all," I said.

Kento wolf whistled. "Oh, very nice, very, very nice, big guy."

"What are you cat calling about?" I asked as we finally picked up the pace again.

"I'm asking if there is anything between you two now that you've kissed, or was it just a 'okay, I've kissed you, now nothing changes between us' kind of thing?" asked my younger yet slightly larger friend. 

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. I mean, yeah we kissed all right, but. . . do we actually do anything with it?" I asked. "I've never had a serious girlfriend or anything before, and Sam . . . you know she hasn't had the greatest opinion on men for a long time."

"Hey, she let you kiss her, didn't she? Here's one excuse to get you started. In a way, you, Cye, and I are the bodyguards of Sam, Sara, and Keisha respectively because of our armors. And we have Cara, Tiger Lily, and Anubis to look after Ria and Rona, but that's beside the point. So, say that a Dynasty fiend comes looking to drain Sam of all her powers and use them against the rest of us."

"That would be bad," I said. "I know that would be bad and I'd have to protect her, but what is your point, Kento?"

Kento sighed heavily. "And you're supposed to be smarter than me. Sheesh, have those dumb wings of yours lowered your IQ or something?"

I tightened my fists and glared at Kento. "What do you mean by that?"  
My friend shrugged and scratched his head. "Well, you're not the same Sage anymore. The Sage I met had the broad side of a rake shoved up his rear all day long and had the personality of a log. He also mediated at the worst possible times- I KNOW about Mia and the waterfall- and was never willing to try anything he wasn't familiar with. The Sage I'm speaking to now's a little more bubbly, meditates at the appropriate times, and is a lot more laid back and easy-going. You can tell it just by LOOKING at you," said Kento. "When the first war was over, said, and done, you were wearing that stupid blue sport jacket, khakis, loafers, and the yellow T-shirt. You didn't let a pair of jeans near you. Now you're in high-tops, jeans, a green T-shirt, and a jock jacket. Tell me you don't look different!"

I thought about that. I HAD changed a lot, hadn't I? "I guess you right."

Kento nodded. "Now, back to Sam. So there's this Dynasty fiend out for her powers for some undisclosed reason for the purposes of this scenario. In which case would you be more likely to be around her? As a friend, or, as her boyfriend?"

I thought about that. Kento did hang out an awful lot with Keisha. And they were always calling each other and hogging up the phone lines with ANNOYING goo-goo talk. ( "I love you!" "No, I love you more, huggy-bear" I get the creeps just THINKING about it). "So, you're saying that if Sam and I get close, it'll be easier to protect her?"

"Bingo," said Kento, smiling. "Anubis said he didn't think that the dating part was necessary, but hey, it's fun, and the minute things begin to look sour you can break it off and still be good enough friends so that you can hang out with her to protect her."

I was beginning to see his point. "So it's okay if I wanted to ask Sam out on a date?"

"Yes!" said Kento, grabbing my shoulder. "Yes, it is! If not her, then you need to get out and start dating! To our knowledge, we have no idea what happened to Celeste, making you the last one of your kind."

"Then I'd create a breed of part human, part Flitteree people. Wouldn't that screw the babies up genetically or something?" I asked. 

"I think Celeste said that you'd get a Flitteree baby even if you mated with a regular old human, but, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," said Kento.

I snorted. "YOU'RE the one who started this conversation."

Kento's cheeks turned an interesting shade of red at the comment. "Oh. Sorry. You know, I think we're closing in Rona's house, so why don't we harass the Santana residence now?"

"Good idea."

~

Later than evening, I decided I was going to go over to Sam's apartment and hang out with her. Kento, in his little speech, forgot that Sam didn't have the greatest history with guys, so, if we ended up in a relationship, I wanted to start it off slowly so I wouldn't overwhelm her or anything.

I took off my T-shirt and wondered if a shower was a good idea or not. Would a shower be too formal to should I just go as is? I lifted up an arm, took a sniff, and decided that for the sake of decency that a shower was a GOOD idea. 

After enjoying that, I started to tear through my dresser and my closet to try and find the right outfit. Jeans were a good idea. Sneakers were even better. Now, the shirt said everything, so, what shirt should I use?

I settled on a black T-shirt with "got milk?" in white letters. Some American catch phrase that some dairy company came up with. Not too plain, but not too glamorous or formal. So after throwing everything on, I exited my room and headed downstairs.

"Where are you going?"

I stopped at the door to see Mike and Cara were watching "_Titanic_" with Sue Lee, who was asking what Leo and Rose were doing in the back of the car without any clothes on. Mike had made the inquisition while Cara tried to come up with a clean explanation for Sue Lee.

"I'm just going over to Sam's place to hang out, that's all," I said. "Is that okay?"

"Just be home by ten," said Cara.

"Ten?!" I whined. "Aw, c'mon, eleven."

"Ten thirty, and that's my final offer," said Mike. "Bargain anymore and it'll be nine."

I ran up to Mike and shook his hand. "Deal! Thanks Mike! Bye!"

~

I found myself walking down a lonely Boston street- a very rare occurrence- after dusk. I felt a cold shiver travel up and down my spine as I continued my brisk walk, which I noticed got fast and faster. It was like I could feel evil on all sides.

I ended up getting into a dead sprint all the way to Sam's apartment building.

CRASH! "AHHHH!!!!"

"Sage, what are you doing here at this hour?"

I looked up and smiled to see it was just Ella. "Uh, sorry I screamed. I just wanted to hang out with Sam, that's all."

"Oh, okay, I'll let you in," said Ella. "I had to go to a late meeting." This was confirmed by her suit and briefcase.

"Oh," I said. We got inside and walked in silence to the door of their apartment. Ella opened it, with her key, then sighed heavily. "I forgot something in my car. Go on in," she said, darting back down the stairs after grabbing her keys. I shrugged and walked inside.

"Oh, hi Ella, glad you're home," I heard Sam say from the small "hallway" leading towards their bathroom. I was about to say that Ella had gone out to the car when Sam came into the living room. Stark naked. 

My eyes widened. Wow. Sam was. . . beautiful. Her wet blonde hair fell over her shoulders, accenting the curves of her upper body in a way that you only see in mermaid movies. For the first time I noticed how nice her legs were and how soft her skin looked. I couldn't believe she looked that. . . amazing. 

I stared at her for a few seconds while she stared at me like a deer stuck in a headlight before we both screamed and ducked for cover, me behind my wings (which had popped out from panic) and Sam behind the corner of the wall. "I'm SOO sorry Sam, I just came over to hang out, and Ella let me in, and then she forgot something and told me to go in and, I'm really sorry, Sam, I had no idea-"

"Quit babbling," said Sam. "It was just an accident, right?"

"Uh, right?" I said. I heard her walk away and open up a door. I uncovered my eyes and saw she was, indeed, gone. She came back a minute later in a mint green bathroom with little embroidered butterflies on it. She sat down on the couch and patted the seat next to her. I nervously went over, not thinking to hide my wings. 

"What happened just a few minutes ago?" Sam started.

"Never happened," I finished. I gulped, pointing at her bathrobe. "You are dressed under that, right? I'm sorry, I just have this picture of you buck naked engraved in my brain right now."

"A night shirt and a pair of underwear," said Sam. "Don't worry about it."

I laughed uneasily. "Yeah, I guess that's gonna take a while to go away, know what I mean?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

Both of us had to have been a nice, bright shade of fire engine red. I mean, I saw her NAKED.

"I got a question for you, Sage?" asked Sam.

"Um, what?" I asked. 

"Did you like what you saw?" 

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. How was I supposed to answer THAT!? I'd insult her if I said I didn't like it, and I would probably get hit if I said I did like it. "Can I wait before I answer that, cause I think I'm going to get in trouble if I say yes or if I say no. Kind of like when an authority figure asks you if they look stupid."

Sam laughed. "You're a smart guy."

I grinned. "Yeah, I had two sisters. I learned when to keep my mouth shut."

Sam sighed heavily. "Well, um, what did you come over here to do?"

"Just wanted to hang out, but, I guess I picked a bad time," I said.

"Kind of," said Sam. We heard the door open and Ella walk in around that time. "Ella, could you ask if I'm getting out of the shower next time you let Sage in?"

Ella raised an eyebrow, then paled. "Wha?"

Sam and I both laughed.


	6. Chapter Six

The Last Amazons

By Dixxy

Chapter Six: The Story of the Amazons

(Rona)

It was a beautiful, sunny, hot day. A perfect day to take a ride on my bike to the Cape in a little bikini and go guy watching. To go get an ice cream from an ice cream truck. To sun tan at the pool. The typical August summer day.

To do anything but sit in Mike's hot, sticky living room with the broken air conditioner waiting for the next meeting to start. The nine of us were sprawled out in the said room, all dying from the one hundred degree weather. Most of us were soaked in sweat and none of us were up-to-par.

Though, in a way, it wasn't too bad. I mean, for one thing, Sage, Kento, and Cye had all opted to take off their shirts to try and beat the heat. And they were all sweaty. Not at the point of smelling really bad, but at the glowing point that you see in those exercise machine commercials. Given Kento was taken (In fact, Keisha was zoning out while using his chest as a pillow), Sage was almost Sam's, and Sara was beginning to mark off her territory around Cye, but it was still a good show. Probably for them, too, since most of us girls were in sport bras, bathing suits and shorts, or tight tank tops.

Finally, Anubis came in. He had his long hair tied back in a ponytail and was wearing a tank top and pair of shorts. Surprisingly, he hadn't even broken a small sweat yet. "You all look sick. Perhaps you should have something to drink."

"It's almost over hundred degrees outside," Sage complained.

"Yeah, it's hot," Sara whined in response. 

"I wanna go outside!" griped Sam.

"I wanna get ice cream!" Ria moaned.

"I need to jump in a pool!" cried Cara.

"I wanna go to the beach!" I added.

"OKAY!" said Anubis, looking irritated. "We'll go outside and jump in the pool, okay?"

We all cheered as we darted outside (Sage and Kento got jammed in the doorway on the way out) and jumped in Mike's in-ground pool. A super-sized tidal wave was the reaction of the water. Anubis walked outside and barely missed getting splashed. The lot of us, now soaked to the bone, looked up at him with nine stupid grins plastered on our now very pleased faces. "You know, you're all accomplished Ronin Warriors and Senshi, yet you tend to act like a bunch of five year olds."

"And you do, too," said Keisha. "I have four words for you: McDonald's and Orange Julius." This got a laugh from the rest of us and a growl from Anubis, who was standing by the edge of the pool.

"Could we please get on with the meeting?" said Anubis.

"You jump in the water, too!" said Cye. He was treading water and looking up at his father with a boyish smile. He dunked his head, came back up, and whipped her head around, spraying most of us in the process. "It's great!"

"But, but, but. . ." Anubis started.

"He can't swim!" Ria concluded. "Oh my God! His son is the Child of Destiny and a bearer of a WATER armor and he doesn't know how to swim! Oh the irony! Oh the agony! THIS IS SO DAMN FUNNY!"

"There IS a shallow end," said Kento, proving his point by wading over to the shallow end of Mike's pool. He extended his arms out over the water. "See? It's waist deep for me, and you're taller than I am. You'll be fine."

Anubis looked at the water, then at Kento, then slowly made his way to the steps leading into the pool. We all cheered him on as he pulled off his shirt and slowly walked in. "Very amusing," he mumbled.

"So, what's today's meeting about?" asked Ria, who'd gotten on one of those big donut float rings. I tried not to laugh when Sara tipped her over and back into the water. "EEEEE!!! SARA!!!"

"If we can get into the meeting, it'll be about Nether Realm races and civilizations," said Anubis. He was beginning to get annoyed with us, which I didn't blame him for. We could be quite a handful if we wanted to be. And at that point, the combination of a pool and a heat wave made us all pretty hyper.

"Okay, we'll calm down," said Sage. He pulled himself up onto the edge of the pool. "So, what do you have to tell us about Dynasty civilizations?" Around that time, the rest of us also opted to climb up onto the ledges of the pool to listen to Anubis' lecture.

Anubis smiled, climbing into a floatie ring. He began to drift back in forth in front of us as he began to speak. "As you all know, Sage is one of the last, if not the last, of the Flitteree, a Nether Realm race. What you might not know is that there were other species in the Nether Realm as well."

Sage seemed to take a particular interest in this. "So, there were other people in the Nether Realm aside from the Flitteree?"

"You bet," said Kento. "Celeste mentioned one of the races to me and Keisha when she rescued us back in the Under City. Amazons. They were the other dominant species in the Nether Realm before Talpa and Trulpa came to take it over."

"Precisely," said Anubis. "Amazons were a very dangerous breed of humanoids, something of a distant cousin to humans, if you could call them that. However, they got along slightly better than Sage's ancestors after the Nether World was invaded."

"Why?" asked Sara.

"They were evil and swore allegiance to both Trulpa and Talpa. See, the Amazons and the Flitteree were sworn enemies. The Flitteree preferred a peaceful life and only hunted for food and only killed when necessary. The Amazons, on the other hand, were a vicious, war like people who hunted for game and killed whenever they had the chance. They flourished after Talpa and Trulpa came to power," said Anubis. 

"You keep saying 'were' instead of 'are'. Did they get killed or something?" I asked.

Cara nodded. "Yes. A few Amazon teenagers decided it would be funny if they broke into Talpa's castle to break stuff about thirty or so years ago. Well, Talpa was NOT amused and sent over half of his army to destroy them. Trulpa didn't find out about it until it was just about too late- over ninety-nine percent of the Amazons had been killed. She was able to save about two dozen of them and placed them in the Under City for protection," said the former Warlady. "That only fueled their feud, as you can imagine."

"Why did she save them?" asked Kento.

"Easy. Amazons are hunters by nature- it's part of their instinct. Their five senses are all heightened and they're easily as agile as any of you. Imagine being like that from birth. None of you could do any of that until you received your armors. They also possess a very unique power," said Cara.

"What's that?" asked Cye.

"They can stop their own breathing and heart rates for a full hour," said Anubis. "When Talpa sent myself and the other Warlords to kill the Amazons, he warned us to always stab one in the chest or cutting its head off before proceeding. Amazons used this skill as a hunting tool, making their prey think they were dead."

"Fascinating," I said. "A creature like that would be a force to be reckoned with."

"No kidding," said Sage. He looked at Anubis. "How did my ancestors deal with them? You said the Flitteree were a peaceful people, but they were enemies of the Amazons. Were they forced into wars?"

"You could say that," said Anubis. "But you shouldn't have to worry about it. Most of them are dead and I doubt that any of them would attack a Flitteree who also happens to be a Ronin Warrior. THAT would be suicidal."

"Going after ANY of us three would be suicidal," said Kento. "We can all use magic in addition to our sure kills, plus we're in the Age of Legends. I can see whatever they're going to throw at me, Sage is their natural enemy, and Cye is the Child of Destiny. I would say they would have to be pretty stupid to go after one of us."

"What else is there to know about the Amazons?" asked Sara.

"Well, their evil is NOT passed on by nature. You could raise an Amazon child to be a good person just as easily as you could raise a Flitteree or a human to be a good person. It's the parents that push their evil ideas on their children, making it a vicious cycle that didn't end until most of them were wiped out. Even now I bet there are a few small Amazon children in the Under City who will continue to carry on their race's hatred," said Anubis. 

Keisha sighed heavily, looking at her watch. "Well, I gotta go," she said. "Sorry I have to leave so early, but my mom needs my help at home with something." Hardrock of the Senshi sighed heavily as she stepped out of the pool and went to grab her jeans. "I wish I could do more to help her." 

Kento laughed. "I got a job interview, now that I think of it."

"You're getting a job?" said Ria.

Kento nodded. "I'm taking Driver's Ed this year and I would like to be able to purchase a car sometime. The only way to get that kind of money would be to get a job. Fun, isn't it?"

"That's a wise investment, Kento," said Anubis. "Cars are fun."

"And you can barely drive them," Cye mumbled dryly.

"Something wrong, Cye?" asked Anubis, not quite hearing what his son had said.

Cye shrugged. "Nothing important."

Anubis didn't seem to believe him. He opted to ignore his son and started talking again. Cye breathed a sigh of relief, getting a few giggles from some of the other Senshi. "Anyone else needed elsewhere?"

"No, but I've owed my little sister an ice cream for the past few weeks and I have to put my money where my mouth is or else she'll get mad," said Sara, shrugging. "I'll see you guys later."

"I could use some extra time to work on my latest collage," said Cara thoughtfully as she climbed out of the pool and went to find a towel. "It's a nice piece. It's a collection of toaster pastries I've photographed over the past few weeks."

I laughed uneasily. "Heh, I told my dad I'd help him with the new menus for his restaurant, and I might as well get home early to help him with that," I said. "He'll be happy I'm coming home early."

Anubis sighed. "Fine, meeting dismissed."

We all got up, said our good-byes, and left the meeting. Kento immediately got a ride with Keisha to his interview, Cara retreated to her room, and Trevor picked up everyone else but me and Sam. I was giving Sam a ride home, so I expected that much. The two of us went outside to my motorcycle and grabbed helmets.

"Rona, what would you say if I said I might be getting a boyfriend?" asked Sam.

I thought about that. "I'd assume that cows flew, Hell froze over, and Sara suddenly grew a foot and a half," I said. "Sam, you practically REPEL guys. You scare them all off." 

Sam frowned. "Seriously, Rona," she said. "You're my best friend and I want an honest opinion. What would you honestly say if I might get some sort of a significant other?" I looked at my friend and saw she really WAS serious.

"Well," I said, putting one leg over the bike. I grinned, already knowing who she was considering. "I guess I'd have to say that it's good you're finally coming all the way out of your dating shell and wish you and Sage the best of luck."

"How'd you-"

I snorted. "C'mon! It's obvious the two of you like-like each other. I say go for it and at least START playing the field," I said. "Sage is a good kid, you'll be all right around him."

Sam smiled as she joined me on the back of my bike. "Really?"

"Really," I said. "Let's get you home now, okay?"

"All righty, mate!"

~

Question time!

Musou Misora: Yes, I go through a crisis from time to time, too.

Winter: Kento learns a lot about football by the time _Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds_ rolls around. One of the first scenes involves him and the other men of the group (minus Cye) watching football on Thanksgiving.

Thanks, as always, for reading and reviewing! GIMME REVIEWS!!!! GIMME, GIMME!!!

~Dixxy


	7. Chapter Seven

The Last Amazons

By Dixxy

Chapter Seven: The First Date, Part One

(Sam)

With school one week away, we were all experiencing mixed emotions. Some of us wanted to go back to school, and some of us didn't. Personally, I wasn't too thrilled with the idea. I don't like school. I get in trouble a lot, which is something I don't like. I told myself I'd be on better behavior this year. Yes. Me on better behavior.

Rona was one of the ones who wanted to go back to school. She was getting bored with her summer enrichment course and wanted new material to play with. "It's not that great being a genius," is something that Rona says a lot. "You get bored really easily. I'm constantly trying to stimulate myself."

The Ronin Warriors were also anxious to get back to school. "After being held captive by Trulpa for nearly a whole damned year, school is going to be like a vacation!" Kento told me. "You must think I'm crazy, but if I had the choice between math class and Trulpa's palace. . . c'mon, it's a no-brainer! Geometry, here I come!"

Everyone else didn't want to get back to the "living Hell hole". Well, almost. Keisha seemed pretty anxious to show Kento off, probably to spite Sheila. Keisha's has always been considered a "weirdo" because she's always had that psychic air about her. Well, now that everyone saw she had a boyfriend, maybe she'd be treated different.

I just wanted to enjoy what was left of summer. A month of it had been spent on the whole mess with Kaze and the boys. Ella and I had gone to a few amusement parks, we'd all been to the beach numerous times, and the museums and aquarium had all been well. . . roamed. Even the Children's Museum. But, I don't know, I still felt like I wanted to do something else. But what?

As it would turn out, Sage would have the answer to that question. Well, sort of. 

"Do you want to go see a movie or something?"

"Wha?" I asked. Sage and I had a run-in at the mall, where we stopped to talk over a soda. Both of us had a bag or two, my bags more concentrated on clothing and Scrunchies while Sage seemed to have a slowly growing collection of CDs and Animé. _He must be getting homesick_, I thought as I saw several videos with pictures of Japanese cartoons on them.

Sage scratched his head nervously. "Well, I thought that maybe I could take you out to see a movie or maybe out to dinner or something some night before school starts," he said. "You know, just the two of us."

I blinked. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Well, yes," said Sage, blushing. "I'll understand if you say no, but-"

I laughed. "It's okay, Sage," I said. I smiled. Now it was time to put my money where my mouth was on dating. _Besides, Sage isn't human. He's a Flitteree. And they're supposed to be peaceful. _"I understand why you're nervous. And I accept your offer. I'd love to go out with you."

Sage brightened up. "Really?"

"Sure," I said. "I mean, if things don't work out, we're friends anyways, and if they do, then, well, I guess that would be okay." I finished the last of my soda and chucked it into the garbage can. I smiled as it fell in. "So, when do you want to go?"

"How does Thursday night sound?" he asked.

"Sounds good to me," I said.

My would-be date (yup, that was a HORRIBLE, yet unintended pun) smiled. "Okay, I'll give you a buzz Thursday afternoon and we'll decide what we'll see and figure out where we want to go after that."

"Great!" I said. "See you then."

Sage nodded. "See you then."

~

"Sam, you can't just go on a date yet!"

"Why not?" I asked. When I told Keisha and Sara later than day about my date with Sage, they both took on looks of panic. In fact, I think that their looks of panic might've topped any random bad situation involving the Dynasty, come to think of it. Which doesn't say a whole lot on my part.

"Because you have NO IDEA what to WEAR on a date! Sam, you just can't go out on a date without at least knowing what's MILDLY appropriate!" said Keisha. She sighed heavily. 

"You and Kento go out on dates, so why can't I?" I asked skeptically. The three of us sat in Keisha's living room over chips and dip during this whole argument. Was something WRONG with me just going on a date? I mean, it was Sage, not some super model or something.

"Because you haven't the slightest clue how to dress for a date or how to act or what not!" said Sara. She took on an exasperated look as she took another chip. "Okay, what are you guys doing?"

"Well, Sage said he'd called me Thursday so we'd know what was playing," I said. "Then we'd figure out where to eat from there. It's not that big a deal, you two. Dinner and movie. We'll probably just eat at Burger King after seeing the latest Ben Stiller comedy."

"I'll let Sheila McConner make out with Kento before I let you go to Burger King and comedy. We'll be at your house on Friday, and we're going to help you figure out what to wear, clothes and make-up alike," said Keisha.

"Make-up?!" I said. "What do you mean make-up?!"

Sara sighed, exchanging a look with Keisha. "This is more serious than we though. We're going to need Rona's help for this one- she's going to need it BIG TIME."

"Yeah, you're right, she's the expert on dates and she's better with coordination than the two of us are," said Keisha. "We'll be over there by eleven Friday morning. We're going to have to pull one heck of a make-over on you."

Suddenly, Sage's idea didn't seem so great. . .

~

Thursday came. Around lunch time, Sage called and we agreed to se a movieat five-thirty and the go to a restaurant afterwards. Rona and Keisha pried the information out of me. Sara had gone on a spur of the moment beach trip with her family, Cye, Anubis, and Ria. The remaining five of us were staying in town for miscellaneous reasons.

"Well, the movie isn't a mushy romance, so we don't need you to get too dressed up," said Rona. She looked me over, mumbling something in Spanish about (I think) a rope. Since I don't take any foreign languages, I didn't understand a word of what she was saying. "You're probably going to be okay with a pair of NICE jeans and a blouse."

"Nice jeans?" I asked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing with any rips, no low-cuts around the waist, just a regular old boot-cut pair of Levi's. Then you'll want something nice for your shoes, and maybe a LITTLE make-up would be okay," said Keisha.

"Can't I just go out in a normal pair of jeans, sneakers and a T-shirt?"

"NO!" said Rona. She and Keisha pushed me into my room and sat me on my bed while they began to tear through my drawers and my closet. Keisha tossed a pair of jeans with embroidered lightning bolts on the legs onto the bed. "Jeans, check."

Rona, who was in my underwear drawer, tossed me a silky white laced bra and a silky pair of underwear. I looked at them in mild shock and embarrassment. "You're gonna need these," the Latin Senshi of Song said.  
"Whoa, whoa, Rona, hold on a second," I said. "We're going to a movie and then to dinner. We AREN'T going to have any sort of intimate relations, you guys! IT'S MY FIRST DATE!"

"No, no, no!" said Rona, laughing at my ignorance. She held up the bra. "This bra, in comparison to your sport bras, is more form fitting. It gives your chest a more, natural look."

"Why do I want Sage's attention directed at my boobs?!" I said.

"Because it's also easier to hide this type of a bra under most blouses," said Rona. "See the little clips on the edge of the straps? They come off, so it can be used for something with a wide neck that would normally show off your brassiere. Get it?"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," I said. 

Keisha then tossed me a long-sleeved blouse with, almost ironically enough, a really big, shoulder-revealing neck. "You'll look great in this!" she said. "But you're gonna have to unhook the straps on that bra."

"Why don't you two just shoot me now?" I complained. "I'm going to look either like some kind of a high-class whore or some sort of a day time talk show guest. It's SAGE we're talking about. Ever since he got those stupid wings of his he's lightened up a little. It's not like I'm going out with some rich millionaire's son!"

"Oh, quit being a baby and just suck it up," said Rona, who had discovered an old make-up kit I had hidden under my bed (Ella got it for me a few Christmases ago). "After all, we're doing you a favor. You should be grateful."

I glared at my friends and through gritted teeth and said, "If I wanted help, I would have ASKED for help!"

"No she wouldn't have," said Rona, snickering. "C'mon, Sam, let us play dress-up with you! This is fun, and it's getting harder and harder to drag any of the boys to the mall now that they know what we usually have planned for them when we get there! Think about it. We won't get a chance to do this until the boys decide to write to the other two in Japan!"

Rona's constant whining caused me to give up. Which I felt was a wise choice. Better just give up then continue to fight a battle I knew I wasn't going to win even on a cold day in hell.

~

After Keisha and Rona spent a good two hours (I kid you not- it WAS two hours) arguing over what eye shadow worked best with which lipstick and whether or not I should wear heels, I got dressed and they applied my make-up while we exchanged conversation. Keisha talked about Ev and Trev's latest episode (something involving over a hundred hamsters, guinea pigs, and gerbils), which got a few laughs and blank stares. Rona gave us the information on her latest break-up (which was Rona's 50th break-up to date), which ended peacefully. I just sat and listened to the two older Ronins and gave my occasional input on the subject.

"When's Sage due over?" asked Rona. 

"Five," I said. I looked over at the clock. The big hand was past the ten and the little hand was almost touching the five. The second hand just went tick, tick, and tick around the face of the clock. "EEK! It's almost five now!"

"Don't worry, you're done!" said Rona. "Take a look in the mirror."

I did just that and, in a weird way, I liked what I saw. My hair was in its normal style, only the ponytail was held up by a beaded green scrunchie. Some pale green eye shadow brought out the violet in my eyes and my deep pink lipstick brought out my smile. Dark mascara adorned my eyelashes and made me look like some sort of a weird old Hollywood movie star. The shirt hung loosely on my body, my entire left shoulder exposed. I felt. . . different.

"Wow, Sam, I didn't think you were that pretty!" said Keisha.

I shot my friend a look. "What are you talking about?" I said.

"C'mon, Sam, you never TRY to make yourself look the least bit attractive. You were always just. . . Sam," said Rona. "But I like this look on you!"

I pouted. "Well, I wouldn't hold your breath if you think I'm gonna do this all the time. That took us over three hours!" I said. 

Rona shrugged. "If you practice, you can get something almost this good done in a few minutes if you don't use mascara," she said. "I HATE mascara, but Keisha INSISTED apon using-"

BZZ!

"Ah. That must be your Ronin Warrior in Shining Mystical Armor," said Keisha. She stood up. "I'll go let him in."

"I think Keisha overuses that term," said Rona.

"What term?" I asked.

"Ronin Warrior in Shining Mystical Armor. C'mon, let's bring you out into the living room to wait for lover-boy, okay?" said Rona. I nodded and nervously stood up, following my best friend into the living room. Keisha was sitting on the couch, her legs crossed and her hands in her lap. She smiled. "Yup, that was him."

Suddenly, I found myself extremely nervous. I picked up a piece of note paper on the coffee table and started to subconsciously crumble and un-crumple it. Rona placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me some verbal reassurance. 

KNOCK-KNOCK!

"Door's open," I said, standing up. Sage stepped in, looking around a little nervously. Unlike me, he obviously hadn't been forced to dress up, as he was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, which is exactly what I was going to wear had Keisha and Rona (and partially, Sara) had not intervened. Whether or not Ria or Cara would have done anything is beyond me, but knowing those two, I would've been safe.

Sage looked at me and blinked. "Sam?"

"This is going to work out well! You've already gotten him to a point of being speechless in his awed stupor of your beauty!" said Rona.

"Sam, did Rona and Keisha do this to you?" asked Sage.

"Yes, they did," I said. "Like it?"

Sage hesitated. "It does look really nice on you and look gorgeous and all, but, I don't know, it's just not you," he said.

Keisha and Rona exchanged horrified looks. "WHAT!?"

"Well, I was kinda expecting Sam to dress down because she's that kind of a girl, and this kind of took me by surprise," said Sage. He smiled. "No matter. It does look nice on you."

"Thanks," I said. Keisha and Rona still looked disappointed, but they'd get over it in time.


	8. Chapter Eight

The Last Amazons

By Dixxy

Chapter Eight: The First Date, Part Two

(Sage)

While Sam's dressing-up had taken me surprise, it was kind of. . . nice. She ended up being really pretty. Every time I got a surprise like that, I wasn't sure what to say. What it because of some sort of an attraction? No. It was more that I saw so many new sides to her that you don't normally see. Sensitive, timid sides that you don't see but you know have to be there. Sam is usually so. . . tom-boyish, I guess. 

We left the apartment building and walked to the ever-so-conveniently close multiplex and bought our tickets. Well, I bought the tickets. Not a dime was going to come out of her purse that night. I was going to make sure of that. I wanted that night to be perfect for her- it was her first date and one of her first experiences at being alone with a boy on somewhat romantic terms. I didn't want to screw that up.

The next step was refreshments. The lobby was pretty deserted for a Friday night, so it wasn't too long before we had our large tubs of popcorn, soda, and candy bar a piece. Then, hand in hand, we skipped- I kid you not, we SKIPPED- down to the theatre and chose a good set of seats in the middle. The back was typically reserved for people making out, and while Keisha and Kento might've been at that point in their relationship, we certainly weren't.

For the next two hours or so, we sat through the previews, movie, and advertisements. We laughed, we cried, we screamed in terror, and that was just the trailers. The movie it self was good. We enjoyed it. It was fun.

After the movie, we went to dinner at- of course- an Italian restaurant. No matter what, Italian restaurants are always one of the most romantic places to go on a date. Unless it's a pizza place with lots of screaming little kids. I'm referring to places like the one that Lady and the Tramp went to in the movie of the same name (I love Disney movies- I've seen just about every Disney movie made).

The restaurant we went to was somewhere in the happy middle. It wasn't big and fancy, but it was smoking free (a plus) and was just a nice casual environment. The walls were painted with murals that depicted scenes from all over Italy in several different time periods. We were seated by a lovely picture of a couple in a gondola in Venice. 

"This is really nice," said Sam, looking around. Golden blonde hair glimmered in the dim lit restaurant, giving her a very pretty air about her. "I just want to thank you for everything tonight."

"Not a problem," I said, picking up the menu. "Do you want an appetizer or a salad or something?"

"Sure," said Sam. "Um, which one?"

"The Caesar looks good," I said. "I'll get that."

"I think I'll just do a house," said Sam. "Drinks?"

"Let's be evil and look at the smoothies," I said. "Milkshakes, malts, frappes. . . yes, junk food heaven!"

Sam laughed. "Strawberry milkshake. . . chocolate malt. . . root beer float. . . oh, I want everything!"

"Then go ahead and try a little of each," I said. "I can afford it."

"Are you sure?" said Sam, looking a little. . . I dunno, nervous, I guess. "Wouldn't that be a LOT of money? You bought for the movie and the food there, too."

I shrugged. "I got it. Kento and I re-painted Mike's shed and his fence- we got paid good money for that," I said. "Kento let me keep all the money- I just have to do all of his chores for the next week. He said I'd need the extra money if I was doing dinner AND a movie. Either way, I got twice as much money as I was supposed to get."

"Small price to pay for that much money," said Sam. "I think I'll go for the chocolate shake first."

"I want a raspberry smoothie," I said. It was about that time that our waiter- a kind of pudgy Italian guy- took our orders for the drinks and salad. That left us some time to figure out what we wanted for our main meal.

Ultimately, we both ordered spaghetti and meatballs. So while we worked on our salads, we started to make some small talk. That felt odd, considering we'd known each other for a while at that point. I mean, c'mon, we'd been through a lot (well, sort of) together. Trulpa going after the Jewel of Death, helping me heal Cara, and that one kiss at the pier. . . man, we were closer than I thought.

"How's football practice going?" asked Sam.

I grinned. "It's going good. Kento's got a pretty good idea on how to play the game now, and the team's looking pretty good." I picked up a crouton and popped it in my mouth. "I'm looking forward to playing. The pads are kind of cool, but the name is just. . ."

"Yeah, the Badgers isn't even a regional name," said Sam. "The 'Boston High Badgers' does sound stupid, but hey, I didn't name the team."

I snorted. "Yes, we can 'badger' the opponent!" I said.

"That joke is WAAAAYYYYY over-used," said Sam. A couple a few tables down from us agreed with Sam. Must've been teachers or alumni. 

Speaking of Boston High staff, I noticed Mr. Wimbly and this really big woman walk into the restaurant. I snickered, instantly thinking of the "hen picking wife" gag used in many cartoons. Sam gave me a strange look in response. "Guess who just got here?" I said.

Sam turned around, spotted our principal, and turned back to me. "This could be interesting. Observing a high school principal when he's off duty," she said. We watched carefully as they were seated at one corner of the restaurant just barely in our view. Well, Sam had a better view than I did from her seat, so I had to use the metal of the napkin dispenser to get a view. 

"And our second form of evening entertainment arrives," I said. "Let's watch."

While we really couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, the woman (presumably Mrs. Wimbly) giggled often and made gestures with her napkin indicating that they were flirting. 

"Ew, school official foreplay," said Sam. I had to bury my head in my arms to keep from laughing out loud. Yes, it was a very DISTURBING thought, but it was funny, none the less.

Our meals came around that instant and our waiter shower immediate interest. "Are you all right, young man?" he said.

I took in a deep breath. "I'll be fine," I said. "She just said something really funny and I couldn't control myself too well."

"Well, keep it down," he said. "Or else the manager will kick you guys out."

"Right, right," said Sam. "Thank you for bringing us our meals." The waiter nodded and walked off to get his next or something along those lines while the two of us forgot about Mr. Wimbly and started to eat. 

~

We took our sweet time eating the spaghetti, just talking, laughing, and enjoying ourselves. The food was good and by the time we were done, I was definitely full. Sam probably was, too, but she looked relatively happy.

"I don't think I've eaten this good since my fifteenth birthday," I said, patting my stomach.

"What about your sixteenth birthday?" asked Sam.

I grew quiet. Sixteen hadn't been a good year for me. I'd "celebrated" it with Kento and Cye while Trulpa had us captive in the Dynasty. Kento and Cye had similar celebrations on their respective birthdays, though poor Cye had to deal with the knowledge of his real birth father on his birthday. "My sixteenth birthday was during. . . you know," I said. Sam's eyes widened as she quietly said "oh" and covered her mouth. "It's, it's okay."

"But sixteen is supposed to be so, special."

"I know."

Sam reached over the table and put her hand on my shoulder. I looked up at Sam in surprise. "You lost out on a lot because of her, didn't you?" she said. "She ruined your life. Tried to ruin your life."

"Yeah. I'm never going home again, I'm never going to see my family again. . . it's so hard to think about," I said. I sighed heavily. "You don't know what it's like to know you can't see your parents again because you're supposed to be dead. They both love me. Loved me, at least. It, it kills me to know they're still alive and I can't see them. They might not be my birth parents, and they might've lied to me, but. . . it was for my own good. I was too young to really comprehend being 'found'."

"You'll get home again eventually," said Sam. I looked up at her, not sure what she was getting at. "It's been over a year since you've seen your home. You don't even have any pictures to help remind you of you friends or your family. You miss them so much, but you're too scared to go back yet. But you'll find the strength to go home some day, or at the very least, write a letter saying 'I'm okay, I'm alive'. You have to do at least that sometime."

"But I can't send something like that totally unmarked. It would have US postage stamps on it, and then I'd get tracked down to the US. If the US government got involved, then we'd all have to move to Mexico or Canada or something," I said.

Sam grinned. "Then go to some exotic country and get that country's postage and send it to your friends and family from there," she said. "It'll be an excuse to go to some place cool like Bermuda or Jamaica."

"Ha, ha, very funny, wouldn't work," I said. "There is no way Mike would just let me go fly off to some other country- by my own ways OR by airplane- just to send a letter."

"Then just give it time and get yourself home whenever that time comes," she said. The waiter came back at that time, left us the check, and I paid, up tip and all. "So, where to next?"

"I don't know, when does your aunt want you home?" I asked as we got up and got ready to leave. 

"Didn't say. Ten or eleven, probably, and it's not even eight thirty yet," she said. "But what can we do for the next hour and a half or so?"

I shrugged. "You tell me. You've spent more time living in Boston than I have," I said.

Sam bit her lip as we walked out of the restaurant. Then, her eyes lit up. "The Pru!"

"What about it?" I asked.

"Maybe we can go to the top of the Pru and look out at the city! It's got to be GORGEOUS when the lights go on!" said Sam, clasping her hands excitedly. 

"Sounds like a plan to me," I said. Sam smiled as we started to walk to the Prudential Building.

~

Considering the Prudential Building had closed for the night, I ended up summoning my wings and flying us straight to the roof. For the next several minutes, we just stared out at the Boston skyline, enjoying the lights and the scenery. 

"This is so pretty," said Sam. She turned to me and smiled. "Thanks. I enjoyed myself tonight."

I grinned back at her. "I did, too." I sighed heavily. I looked down at the pavement. "So. . . what are your thoughts on all this?"

"I don't know," said Sam. She sighed heavily. "I have to thank you, Sage. You've really made me see that guys are all right. And I appreciate that. But. . ."

"You don't think I'm boyfriend material," I said.

Sam shook her head. "I don't mean to insult you or anything but-"

"Nah, I was gonna say the same thing," I said. "I think that with the way our personalities work out we'd make better friends. And we agreed that we could deal with just being friends."

My partner in arms nodded. "I agree. Now we've only got one problem."

"What's that?"  
"Their names are Kento Rei Fuang and Keisha Narrlobi," said Sam. "You KNOW that they've been trying to hook me and you and Cye and Sara up. We just need to politely explain to them that we're happy as good friends. I wouldn't mind going out with you at another time and if you ever need a date for a prom or a formal dance I'll go with you in a heart beat, but for right now I think we're better off where we are right now."

"Point taken," I said. "C'mon, let's get you home."

~

After I dropped Sam off, I started to walk home, but before I went even a few steps, I suddenly felt a presence behind me. I stopped short and looked around. This wasn't right. My heart began to race out of fear and panic. Somebody was watching me.

I began to look around wildly, but I saw nothing. I was beginning to get nervous. I started to reach for the pocket containing my armor orbe when someone suddenly lunged out at me. Before I could cry out in surprise, the figure threw a cloth over my face. I struggled to get away from it, but my assailant had an iron grip.

"Hey! Let him go!"

Sam! She was my only hope. I looked over to where she was standing, but saw she was staring at us in awed stupor. Her pause was long enough for my kidnapper to throw down a smoke bomb and drag me away into the night.


	9. Chapter Nine

The Last Amazons

By Dixxy

Chapter Nine: Cyan's Diary

(Sam)

After Sage walked me to the door and I was on my way back to the apartment, my armor reacted and I darted back outside. Something was wrong, and something was after Sage. I had to help him. Even if we had decided we weren't going to be an item, he was still my friend and my partner in arms.

Once I got outside, I saw someone had grabbed Sage. "Hey! Let him go!" I yelled out. I was about to add more, but then Sage's assailant looked up at me. The man before me looked familiar, but I couldn't figure out why until a few seconds later. My blood froze, my body went numb, and I just stared straight ahead at the mugger.

The man standing before me had long, blonde hair and a very deep tan. He was very tall with a thick build, even thicker then Kento's build with rippling muscles accented by a tight black T-shirt and even tighter jeans. A toothy grin that made my skin crawl. All and all, I knew that man.

My father. My father was alive, and he was kidnapping Sage. 

Sage and I made eye contact, my friend's eyes filled with fear. He was struggling to free himself, but the cloth my father held over his nose and mouth must have been either suffocating him or drugging him. Not to mention my father is easily as strong as me, maybe even as strong as Kento, or as strong as the two of us combined. 

Before I could snap out of my trance, my father threw a something down onto the ground. I was suddenly surrounded by a cloud of thick, gray smoke. I coughed, the chalky smoke clouding my vision and filling my lungs. I fell on all fours to the pavement, coughing and hacking as I tried to remove the offensive cloud away from my breathing air. _How did that man get a hold of something like that? Never mind. How the hell is he even alive!?_

Once I stopped coughing and the cloud was gone, so were my father and Sage. I looked around in panic, realizing that they were long gone. I cried out in frustration and slammed one of my fists into the ground, which didn't do much more than bang up my knuckles to the point of bleeding. I swore and stood up. I needed help. I looked at my apartment building and went back inside. Maybe I could call one of the others for help, or at the very least get my hand bandaged up (the one bad thing about having healing abilities is that you can't heal yourself). Then I had to figure out why my father had kidnapped Sage and how I was going to get him back.

With nothing else to do, I walked back into the building.

~

Ella was home when I got in. She didn't even ask a single question before she started to wash and bandage up my hand. I told her everything while she worked on bandaging me up. "Ella, what am I going to do?" I asked once she made the finishing touches. Ella tied up the bandage and I took off my shirt. Time to get something easier to move around in.

"Call your friends and track him down," she said, going for the phone. "They'll be able to help you, and you need help." Hmm, not a bad idea. I could get help from Kento or Keisha and track him down via psychic powers. Even as crazy as it sounded, we've all seen crazier.

But as luck would have it, Murphy's Law decided it was going to be my best friend that day and a bad situation got even worse. The lights flickered, the VCR digital clock went straight to midnight, and then, black. The entire apartment was shrouded in darkness. We had lost power. 

"Aw, man!" I said, throwing up my hands in anger. "This SOOOO rots! First Sage is kidnapped by my supposedly DEAD father, and NOW THIS!? What the hell did I ever do to deserve this? Heck, what did SAGE do to deserve this? He's the one who's going to end up killed if I don't do something fast!"

"It gets worse," said Ella, hissing at me. "Phone's dead. And keep your voice down! Do you want our entire floor to know that you have supernatural powers, your dead father has just kidnapped one of your good friends, and that this kidnapped friend isn't even from this realm? Think, Sam, think!"

I groaned in frustration. "Then I'm going to find Sage and my father myself!"

"No!" said Ella. "Your father was supposed to have died ten years ago, and he's suddenly back? This isn't something you can take lightly! You should walk to the nearest Senshi's home and go get help from them. If he was able to come back from an eternal sleep, who knows what kind of powers he has?"

"Who said I was taking this lightly?" I said. "I'm taking this more seriously than I take my finals! Sage could get hurt, or even worse, DIE! I can't let that happen! He's my friend, and maybe more than that now. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't do something!" I sighed heavily. "Besides, Ria and Sara are at the beach with Cye and Anubis while Rona's half way across town at Keisha's tonight. Kento's even FURTHER away."

"Cyan's diary," said Ella. I blinked in surprise. It took a while for what she said to register, but when it did, I raised an eyebrow. My mother's dying words had been about a diary owned by someone named Cyan. "That's the key. That'll explain why your father is alive and what you need to do to stop him."

More frustrated groans. Oh, like we're going to find the damned thing NOW? "We've been trying to figure that out for years and we STILL haven't figured out who Cyan was or why his or her diary was so important!" I said. "It's not worth the time to look."

"I'm going to go down to the storage bin and look for it myself," said Ella, turning on a flashlight. She headed to the door and gave me a stern look. "There MUST be something we keep overlooking. Are you coming, or are you going to go and get yourself and Sage killed?"

I sighed heavily and followed my now very determined aunt outside.

~

Once we were in the storage garage (they run on some other power source- no, we can't figure out why they do it either, but then again the landlord is pretty weird), we started to go through boxes that had books in them. "I don't see why it's going to suddenly turn up," I said.

"We never went through some of these boxes, remember?" said Ella, opening up a particularly dusty box. She coughed as the dust raised into the air. "Maybe it's in one that we never went through. We have to at least TRY." I still didn't give her a very sincere look. "Just give me fifteen minutes and then you can go off."

"Fine," I said. I started to go through old magazines, photo albums, and recipe books, but found no diaries or journals. I finished up one box and went to another. I couldn't help but feel that I was wasting my time as we went through all of these boxes. None of these things were helping, and I was beginning to wonder if it was already too late to save Sage.

_Don't think that, Sam. Concentrate on finding him alive, _I thought to myself as I persevered on. As much as I didn't want to admit it, she was right. The key to figuring out why my father was alive after all these years and how to rescue Sage was going to lie in the diary.

I reached for a third box. This one was sealed with very yellowed tape, obviously a box my aunt and I had neglected to look through. I peeled the tape off, finding it chipping easily as I pulled it off. After opening the top, I found a black diary on top. "What's this?" I asked, picking it up.

My aunt looked at the book and smiled, taking it in her hands. She placed it down to her lap and smiled. "That was my mother's diary," she said quietly. "I remember that she used to write in it very frequently. This, this can't be it. My mother's name was Jennifer and my father was Kyle."

"Was this in your possession or my father's possession?" I asked. 

"Your father's possession. He was very attracted to it, but why do you ask?" said Ella.

I opened the diary and started to read.

__

August 31, 1963

Kai- no, I'm sorry, Kyle- bought me this diary to try and sway my thoughts away from the attack last week. You, being a book filled with blank lined paper, can never understand the horror and sudden realization we felt when we watched our families and homes destroyed in a fit of Talpa's rage. I remember crying for the first time in my life. Never before had such strong emotions overcome me. I was so used to feeling nothing- no remorse, no love, no compassion- for the first twelve years of my life that it was a shock.

But Kyle and I have more important things to do. Our race may very well die out if we done escape to the Mortal Realm and live like normal humans. We look enough like them, so it shouldn't be too bad. Australia is a very nice country with very nice people in it, and we could very well find ourselves beginning to feel at home.

As long as I live and breath, I will try my hardest to help bring forth a new breed on Amazons. Amazons who don't live to kill, but live to help other live better lives.

Sincerely,

Cyan (Jenny)

I paled, frozen in place as I read the entry. Then, I bubbled up with excitement. Eureka! We'd done it! I knew what was going on now ! "This is it!" I said, leaping to my feet and pointing excitedly at the diary. Ella stared at me in a mix of wonderment, fright, and amazement. "This is Cyan's diary!"

"You're kidding," said Ella. She took the diary. "Talpa? Mortal Realm? Amazons?"

I thought back to Anubis' lecture a few days earlier. "The Amazons!" I said. "They were a race of people who lived in the Nether Realm. They were a sort of enemy species to the Flitteree. Allied with Talpa and Trulpa for a while before Talpa got mad at them and committed mass genocide." My blood froze. "If my grandparents were both Amazons. . . then you and my dad are both Amazons, too!"

"Wha?" said Ella. "You mean. . ." My aunt threw the book down. "I'm one of THEM!?"

"Now it makes sense," I said, starting to put the pieces together. "Amazons can fake their own deaths so effectively that he probably just made his body go numb and when no on was looking- c'mon, who's gonna make sure a stiff doesn't get up and walk away?- he just walked out of the jail. He's been in hiding all these years!" I lowered my eyes. 

"The Amazon instinct must have stayed with him, and that's why he was always so cold and cruel. Why he was always so bitter," said Ella. "Your mother must have found the diary and confronted your father about it the night of her murder! The father of her child's parents claiming to be of another race? I'd ask questions, too."

This was all beginning to make sense. Everything that I didn't understand about myself was beginning to fall into place. "Then that makes me some sort of a hybrid," I said. "If my mother was human, and I think she was, then that means I'm half Amazon and half human."

"What does all this mean?" asked Ella.

"First, it means this is my role in the Age of Legends. Second, I've got to save Sage."

Ella looked at me in concern. "Alone? You're going to go after your father alone? He's a murderer AND an Amazon! There's no telling how dangerous that man is! How can you be so sure you can do this by yourself?" she asked. "Sam, you're my only family now. I hardly consider that ass-hole family and I don't want him to take your life, too!"

"I have to face my father down by myself. He killed my mother and I want to take revenge. I know a lot of the Amazon's powers- I can use them to hunt down Sage and my father. Plus, I have a mystical armor and I know how to use it- just ask Cara, she can tell you that for sure. This is something that-"

"-that I need to help you with," said Ella, also standing up. "I'm going with you."

My eyes widened in surprise. She was WHAT!? "What? You're kidding," I said, folding my arms. "I have the Halo of the Senshi to back me up. You have nothing. I don't want you to get hurt. You're the only family I HAVE, and I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

My aunt placed her hand on my shoulder. "No. My brother has caused me so much pain over the last ten years that I want to give him a piece of my mind. This is something I have to do as well. You know how close I was with your mother. Her death hurt me, too."

I sighed heavily. "Ella, you don't know how dangerous this is. I don't want you to get hurt or worse. I have to do this. Alone. If you want to help, then drive to Mike or Keisha's house and tell them where I'm going. I could use their backup. Even if you are an Amazon, you just learned about this tonight- you don't know ANYTHING about their powers!"

"But now I know that he killed our parents!" said Ella. She looked on the verge of tears. "I have to avenge them! You're avenging your mother and rescuing your love. I'm avenging my parents by assisting you. You're the only family I have. I don't want to loose you."

I closed my eyes. "Ella, you'd be better help if. . ." I tried to argue. But it was no use. There wasn't any way that Ella was going to back down from this fight. Even if I tried to just leave her, she'd find a way to follow me. If my father's instincts stayed with him then some of my aunt's instincts must have stayed with her, too. "I don't want you getting into this right away."

"What do you mean?" asked Ella.

I smiled. "You'll do better as a calvary than as a starting player. I'm an experienced fighter; I know how to handle myself in a fight. If I fall, then I've probably weakened him to a point that you can handle. Okay?"

Ella narrowed her eyes, but nodded. "You've grown up so much since I first started to take care of you. I'm proud of you, and I fully understand your decision. This isn't my place to lead."

We nodded in agreement as we started the long, solemn walk to where we though my father had taken Sage. The only question on our minds was what his plans were, and what had he done with Sage?

~

Mwahahaha! The plot thickens!

Winter: Thank you for commenting on the Sage/Sam "nakie" scene. Keep the language down. I don't know what's going to happen next *grins evilly- you know I do*. Yes I can leaving people hanging like this. You're right- it isn't human as we've just learned. This is the next part.

Sorry, I felt like being really silly there. Next chapter should be out soon. Until then, go read End of Innocence v2.0. It's a good story. I wrote it. Pain, anguish, suffering, suspense. . . am I cruel to Cye or what?

~Dixxy


	10. Chapter Ten

The Last Amazons

By Dixxy

Chapter Ten: Damion's Plan

(Sage) 

There must have been some sort of a knock-out drug on that cloth (probably a form of chloroform), because I distinctly remember waking up sometime later with one mother of a hang-over. My head hurt, it felt like my stomach was filled with vinegar, baking soda, and milk, and I didn't know where I was, which scared me. Who could possibly want to kidnap my that badly other than the Dynasty? And the Dynasty wouldn't waste their time with chloroform or make it so. . . subtle. Besides, they couldn't have finished licking their wounds from the last bout. They couldn't have!

I tried to move one of my arms and regretted it. It was banged up really badly for some reason, as were both of my legs. They had to have been broken, but how did they break? WHY did they break? _My kidnapper must've done this. . . but why would someone want to go after me like. . . this?_

I opened my eyes and saw I was curled up in some sort of a dog cage. It was large, probably meant for a Saint Bernard or a Great Dane, the smell from its last occupant was adding to that sick-to-my-stomach feeling. Making matters worse, the cage was in a creepy, candlelit factory, probably abandoned (all of the machines were rusty and covered with dust).

Taking in a deep breath, I tried to make some sort of sense of what was going on, but I wasn't coming out with anything solid. My head was still a little bit cloudy and I wasn't at my peak. I moaned, a sudden pain attack striking my head. "Where am I?" I finally asked.

"Welcome to your doom, Flitteree," an Australian voice answered. But, it wasn't Sam's or Ella's, and that made me nervous. If it was one of their voices, then maybe it was some sort of a sick joke they were playing? No, that wouldn't be how they'd do it. But it wasn't one of them. "I'm. . . sorry. . . I had to break your legs, but, I don't want you running away."

I looked around. I saw a shadowy figure standing off the side, his features so un-definable I could hardly tell if it was a man or a woman. I was pretty sure it was a guy, but. . . well, some women have deep voices. Like this one teacher I had who had a mustache-

Never mind. Not important.

"Who are you?" I asked my kidnapper. Then, my eyes widened as I realized something very important. He hadn't just called me boy or something like that. He'd called me. . . Flitteree. This man knew who and what I was! "Wait, how did you know I'm a Flitteree? How do you even know what a Flitteree IS!?"

My captor came into view. He was a tall, tanned man with long blonde hair and deep blue eyes. He looked like Fabio, only evil. Yes, my captor was evil Fabio. Possessed Fabio. Fabio from Hell. "Although it won't matter once I've killed you, I'll tell you," he said, kneeling down in front of my cage. I tried to back away from where he was. He chuckled at my fear. "My name is Damion, first and foremost. You may have heard of me from my little girl."

The last sentence nearly dumbfounded me. What did he mean about his little girl? Slowly, it dawned on me. My eyes widened in surprise. "You're. . . Sam's father?!" I asked. Damion nodded. My chin dropped. It just COULDN'T be her father! "But that's impossible! You're supposed to be dead!"

"Ah, maybe I should be. That's what the records say by now, right? But, you see, I can fake dead really well, so when no one was looking, I just got up and walked away," he said, smiling smugly. "Lovely little deception, don't you think? No one has suspected a thing for ten years."

"The police must've checked for breathing and a pulse before they declared you dead," I said. "No one can fake a stopped pulse and stop breathing for a long time. You CAN'T be alive. You're just some sort of a sick look-alike with a weird hobby." _But he knows about the Flitteree. . . this isn't making any sense!_

Damion burst out laughing. "Haven't you figured it out yet?" he said, walking towards my cage with his hands in his pockets. He looked at me through the bars of my cage, chuckling to himself as he did. "Every Flitteree should shrink back in fear if they knew THAT much information."

I blinked at him in confusion. "I don't understand," I said. "Why-" Suddenly, it hit me. I thought back to a few days earlier, at the last meeting we'd had. Anubis and Cara had talked about a Dynasty civilization that had incredible powers, one of which was the ability to stop their own heartbeats and breathing to make it appear as if they were dead. The Amazons. And the Amazons HATED Flitteree.

Damion was an Amazon. 

And I was trapped like a rat by a psychotic killer from a race I was practically a sworn enemy with. My brain was running a mile an hour, my palms were sweaty, and I was really close to peeing my pants. I was THAT scared. Yes, I had my powers as a Ronin Warrior, but I was hurt and still kind of nauseous. I couldn't fight like that! "So, you've finally figured it out, kid?"

"You're an Amazon?! But that. . . but how. . . they were all killed. . ."

Damion laughed. "Since you seem so interested, I'll explain to you exactly why I'm here," he said. "It all started over thirty years ago when my parents escaped from their village, enlightened by the destruction. They, for some reason, were not driven to take revenge on Talpa. They were driven to get away from him and start life anew. To be peaceful. Kind, considerate. It makes me sick."

So, two Amazons got a dope slap and figured out "My race is evil. Evil is bad. Let's be good!" Big deal. But Damion kind of had a captive audience, so I was going to have to sit through this story for who knew how long. I didn't say anything, waiting for him to go on.

"Well, they were just kids when they escaped to Australia. Took on new names, learned the language, and when they got older, they got married. Amazons are supposed to just have kids- love and marriage aren't supposed to be part of it! But, they did, those disgraces."

"Then they eventually had you and Ella," I concluded.

"Exactly. My parents were able to convince my sister of the good morals they had earned. But my instinct as an Amazon was strong. I held through against their teaching for eighteen long years. Then, I eventually did learn something useful from them," he said, rubbing his hands together. He laughed smugly.

"What did you find?" I asked. 

"My mother's diary. In there, I learned what I was. I learned I was. . . super human. And I learned about several powers that the Amazon people had. I was amazed by these powers! I could do anything I wanted to with them!" said Damion, excitement in his eyes. Then, they narrowed again. "But then I grew angry. My parents had not told me of this heritage? Then, they must be destroyed."

By blood went cold. "You killed your own parents?"

Damion shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. "They were useless, anyways," he said. "My sister never had any idea I had killed them. I wanted to kill her, but then I realized any children she might have would be at least half blooded Amazons that I could teach. When was when I realized my destiny."

I realized what he was talking about, too. "You were going to have children and make them as violent as you were," I concluded. "That way you could try to revive your race and either take bake the Nether Realm or take this realm. You were after power, weren't you?"

"Smart Flitteree, once you get the ball rolling. So I married some Japanese orphan girl and a year later, my little Samantha was born," he said. He smiled. "Ever since she was a baby she had a strong grip. For a half blood, she had a firm grip on her abilities. But, as time went on, she began to forget them. Sam was like any other little girl- into dolls, stuffed animals, tea parties- you know, little girl stuff. She was heading down the wrong path. I realized that I had to awaken her to her powers, so awaken that killer instinct. I killed her mother-"

"-while she was watching," I said, narrowing my eyes at him. _You sick ass hole. You don't deserve to live. _"But then you got arrested after Ella saved Sam and tried to save her mother, faked your own death, and went to whatever rat hole you've been hiding in."

"I've been around, thank you very much," said Damion. 

"You ruined your daughter's life, Damion," I said. "If you awoke any Amazon instincts, they were directed at men and ONLY men. She's afraid of them. For crying out loud she can't even sit down to watch a game of baseball without freaking out! The only thing you did was ruin her view of the opposite sex."

"Then why'd she date you?" asked Damion.

I wasn't sure how to answer that. I gave him a few moments of silence before I decided apon my answer. "Because I showed her that not all men were out to kill her," I said. "I was raised by a normal human family. I told her about them and she got a better idea at what family life is like. She trusts me. And I know she'll never trust you."

"But I'm her father," said Damion, slamming his foot into the ground. He did not seem pleased with what I was saying, even if it WAS the truth. He didn't want to admit to it, but year, he'd pretty much ruined Sam's whole life. "Of course she'll trust me. She'll obey me in my quest for world domination."

"Is that ALL you Nether Realm psychopaths think about?" I asked dryly.

Damion shrugged. "Nope, there have been a few celebrities that have come out of the Dynasty. Like Macy Gray and Marilyn Manson. They're both Dynasty demons who came here to fill the world with either bad music or weird music sung by really weird people," he said (Dixxy's Note: I told you I didn't like Macy Gray. . .).

Somehow, that made sense, but my newfound knowledge of Macy Gray and Marilyn Manson's origin was immaterial to the situation at hand. I shook the thought out of my head. "It doesn't matter if you're Sam's father," I said. "She hates you. You killed her mother. You scared Ella into leaving the country with Sam. She was five- she went through too much for a five year old to handle."

"She's half Amazon, she could have handled it if my damned sister hadn't interfered," said Damion. He fumed. "I would've explained her heritage to her that night. Together, we would've been all powerful. This would have already been under our thumb. Amazons can handle that. Even half-Amazons."

"She's also half human!" I said. I was getting mad. "She's not all Amazon like you are! She may have some of an Amazon's strengths and abilities, but she's got human morals and a human heart, and I know it! I've seen it for myself! No matter what she may have inherited from you, she's not like you."

Damion snarled. "I will convince her of what she needs to do, Flitteree. You'll see," he said, clenching his fists. "I'll do whatever it takes to earn her love and her obedience. Even if I have to beat it into her, she will obey me and she will help me to take control of this world."

"Love can't be earned that easily," I said. "Especially with Sam."

Sam's father was beginning to get impatient with me. "But I'm her flesh and blood. It was me who created her and me who should be with her. You, on the other hand, are of a foolish, pansy race who believe in things like peace and love. You're her sworn enemy."

"No I'm not!" I said. "Sam's not like other Amazons. She doesn't even KNOW she's an Amazon! She thinks she's a human, and if she ever learns about her powers, then she certainly won't use them to help you take over the world. If anything she'd used them to protect this world from scum like you!"

Damion looked ready to make another argument, but that was when we heard a very loud, very obvious squeaking of a door. We both looked in the direction of the door and saw a very stunned Sam. Although I couldn't see his face, I knew he must have been smiling some sort of a sick and sadistic grin at his only daughter. 

"Samantha, my little girl, c'mere and give your old man a hug!" said Damion, holding his arms open wide, as if expecting Sam to run into them. Instead, she stayed put. "Sammy, sweetie, c'mon. It's me, Daddy! You haven't seen me for years. Aren't you glad to see me?"

Sam stared at her father in disbelief before narrowing her eyes. "No. Let him go."

"Sweet heart, he's not like us-"

"I'm not like you!" said Sam. She started to step forward. "I know what I am- Ella and I found the diary. I know I'm half Amazon. But I'm also half human. I'm not an Amazon- I'm a hybrid. I don't have all the Amazon instincts that you do. And I don't have their evil intentions, either!"

Damion laughed. "Oh, they're there, Sam. I've been watching you these past ten years. Every fight you've ever gotten into is pure Amazon instinct. Every time that you've put down someone because of their gender or something else, there it is. Every strength you have is from being part of the Amazon race. Don't you get it? You're Amazon through and through."

"No it's not!" said Sam. She clenched her fists, pulling one to her hips and the thrusting the other slightly out as her face twisted into one of pure anger and a pure sense of determination. "I'm not an Amazon. I am one of the five Ronin Senshi and I get my power from my heart!"

While I couldn't see his face, I can imagine the shock and surprise on his face. He must have had SOME knowledge of the Ronin armors, and now that he knew his child was one of them. . . "You're involved with Flitterees AND Ronin Rodents?!" Sam's father looked beyond infuriated at that point. 

"That's right," said Sam, taking out her armor orbe. "Halo of the Senshi, TAO CHI!" In a bright green flash of light, cherry blossoms, and other cheap special effects, Sam stood in her subarmor, taking a fighting pose infront of her father. "I'm not going to let you hurt Sage or the Mortal World!"

Damion stood up. "Then you are no longer my daughter if you choose to side with the Ronin Senshi. You will see. They, the Ronin Warriors, and the Ancient One himself will fall at my hands, with or without you at my side. You will either stand beside me, or I shall be forced to kill you."

"Then let's fight. To the death."

~

Let's see what you guys have asked me this time around. . .

Winter: RSL was taken off my site for many, many reasons. One of the main reasons is because I'm tweaking with the plot line. If you read the original version of this story, you know that Sam and Sage ended up hooking up. In this version, they don't- they're just good friends and will probably remain that way. In _The Armor of the Soul_, Sage revealed his adoption by the Dates in chapter fifty-five, and it isn't revealed until chapter fifty-eight in this version. There will also be some other minute changes in future stories (ESPECIALLY in _Dragonia_ and _Oh, Lucky Me!_) that should enhance the storyline. As soon as I have everything up to _Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds_ redone, I should start re-posting it, though I might go back to revise _Consequences of Capture_ again.

Keep reviewing!

~Dixxy


	11. Chapter Eleven

The Last Amazons

By Dixxy

Chapter Eleven: Blood of Life

(Sam)

Ever since I was five years old and I watched my mother's death, I never actually thought I'd have a chance to inflict my own justice on him. Yet, here I was, staring him down with knowledge of powers I couldn't use and some powers that I could use darn well but might do jack squat against him. 

Ella and I had tried out our new powers to get to where my father had taken Sage. It took some concentration, but little by little, some of our skills awakened. I found myself locking onto Sage's essence and began to follow it, visualizing my goal. Ella had caught on slightly quicker than I had- she was a full blood while I was only a half blood.

After we reached the factory that my father held Sage in, we split up. I was to confront my father. Ella was up in the rafters of the factory- she probably snuck up while my father and I talked each other down. Sage was looking hurt and weak in the small cage he'd been placed in. His eyes met mine briefly, looking scared and childlike. 

As my father and I stared at each other, waiting for the first move, I thought back to the night of my mother's murder. The night that had changed me into what I had been for a brutal ten years. The night that had taken my life and twisted it into a sickening world of fear, distrust, and misery . .

~

_"Mama!" I had said, running into my mother's waiting arms. My mother smiled, her fine and fair Japanese features smiling at mine. She hoisted me up. I played with the curly black tendrils of hair that always framed her delicate face, my naiveté showing through for what may have been the last time._

"What, my little butterfly?" she asked.

I grinned. "I drew a picture," I said. My mother cocked an eyebrow, grinning slyly. She put me down as I ran into the kitchen, hopping up on the chair and showing her the poorly crayoned image of a person with bright pink butterfly wings. A fairy of some sort.

My mother picked up the picture. "It's beautiful," she said. "A fairy?"

I nodded. "Fairy. They're like. . . butterfly people, because they have wings and they fly around big flowers," I said. "They're not like us. We don't have wings, do we, Mama?" My mother shook her head. "We have airplanes instead, but airplanes can't fly like fairies can fly. They're too big and bulky."

"You might make yourself into a wonderful artist someday, Sammy," she said. I giggled in delight at the comment, hugging my mother as she kissed my forehead. She smiled at me her, her eyes heavy with age and fatigue. She always worked so hard to keep me in line. . ."I'm so proud of you."

"Is Daddy proud of me?" I asked uncertainly. My mother sighed heavily.

"Your father. . . well, I'm sure that he's proud of you in his own way, but-"

"Why does Daddy hit you?" I asked. My mother looked at me from behind unsure eyes, trying to answer me. I had seen my father hit my mother a number of times, but I didn't understand it at the time. Yes, I got the occasional spanking across the rear for using "magic words" one of the neighborhood kids had taught me or for doing some other typical little kid crime, but my mother wasn't a little kid. She was a grown woman. "Why?"

"Well, there are-"

SLAM!

I jumped as my father suddenly stormed in. My mother hurried me upstairs, leaving me scared and confused. I went into my room and grabbed my favorite stuffed animal, a kangaroo I'd named Katie. Katie the Kangaroo. I held her tight, knowing that whenever my dad came home and my mother made me go into my room something bad was going to happen. 

I could hear a muffled argument from downstairs. This was expected- they always fought before the bad thing happened. But then I heard a high pitched scream emit from my mother, shouts of "no" and my name. I thought I was being called, so I ran downstairs. It was a decision I'd live to regret.

My father had a baseball bat in hand, my mother on the carpet floor of our living room. Her shoulder looked like it was bent out of shape and she was crying. A bit of blood soaked through her shirt. A tiny bit of blood was on the baseball bat my father carried. "Please, stop!" she cried. 

In response to my mother's desperate pleas for mercy, my father dealt another blow to my mother, this one to her chest. She screamed and so did I. My father sent me a sideways glance, a murderous, manic look I hope I can someday forget. He then smacked her again, somehow careful to not strike her head. I held Katie tightly as I helplessly watched my mother's blood soak our carpet and her clothing. The red life fluid splattered, getting me and my childhood toy in the process.

Click. 

My father looked up and dropped the bat as the door closed. I screamed and he looked at me, panic-stricken, as Ella ran in. She screamed as my father bolted out of the window. I ran to my mother, dropping Katie on the stairs. I cradled my mother's head, sobbing hysterically as she continued to bleed. 

"Cyan's . . . diary. . . has the truth. Find. . . it, Butt. . er. . fly. . ." said my mother as she gagged on the blood that began to come from her mouth. After that, her eyes closed, she made another choking sound, and she stopped breathing. I started to scream, crying for my mother.

"Mama! Mommy! MAMA!"

~

Now, ten years later, I stood face to face with her killer. My own father. "You're not going to get away with killing my mother, kidnapping Sage, or thinking about trying to use me to take over the world," I said. I took a fighting stance. "You may be my birth father, but you were NEVER my father."

My father smiled as his eyes became a blood red color and his body began to emit a black glow. He put his hands together as a dark mass of energy formed. My body reacted strangely to the energy, recognizing it. This was wild Amazon magic. This was a dark magic, much darker than the carefree Flitteree magic I'd seen Sage use dozens of times. _I won't use that magic- if I do, I could become like HIM._

He was preparing his first strike. 

I waited for it. "Go on, try and hit me," I said boldly.

BAM! KA-BOOM!

The ball of energy hit the machine behind me, causing it to explode. I had already jumped away, kneeling on the stone cold floor several yards away, bracing myself for another leap. I laughed, pleased with myself for how I was handling the situation. "You've got to do better than that," I said cockily. 

"That was just a practice shot," said Damion.

I stood up and began to prepare a lightning bolt. I smacked my hands together, pointing my fingers at my father as a huge burst of electricity erupted from the ceiling. Ella screamed and Sage looked on, impressed. I smiled, thinking I'd won. That was the best bout of thunder I'd ever come up with. Trulpa had trouble taking my first try at that spell; no way my father could withstand it.

"You've got to do better than that," he said, standing up straight. He was mocking me as he laughed. I stared in disbelief at the man as he brushed his jeans off. He grinned, folding his arms. "I will admit it was a good shot- it'll work great against the humans. Let's quit messing around and fight already."

"Fine," I said, summoning my sword. My father picked up a long pole that had been leaning up against a wall. At first glance, it looked like it might've been a loose piece of piping. On a closer look, you could see it was a weapon. He clenched his hands around it and a long blade, half the length of the staff, popped out of one end. He twirled it around expertly in a way that I would compare to Kento or Keisha when they spar.

I held my no-datchi in front of me, taking deep, heavy breaths as I tried to concentrate. He let out a battle cry and ran for me. I yelped in surprise and used my sword to block the assault. While we exchanged pressure, I tried to do something I hadn't ever done in battle before.

I tried to observe what was going on to formulate a PLAN.

I took note of his weapon. It was well over eight feet long, and my father was five or six inches short of reaching seven feet in height. My no-datchi was only about an inch or so taller than me, so I had better control over my weapon. So, logically, I should be able to knock his weapon away from him, right?

I backed away, the blade grazing my subarmor as it hit the cement floor. I took a somewhat wild swing at my father, hitting his leg. He howled in pain as blood gushed from the deep wound I'd produced. I was sure he'd give up. There wasn't any way that he could stand on that leg! He'd have to surrender, then we'd bring him back to the others and we'd decide to do with the worthless bag of scum that had fathered me.

I forgot that he was an Amazon. He wasn't ready to give up. My father sucked in air and re-took his battle position. We started to circle each other, never letting our eyes leave the other fighter. I just had to wait for the right moment to strike him again and bring him down to a point where I could handle him.

Sadly, the circling was a bad idea for me, good for him.

See, my dad was hurt and bleeding badly, but somehow, he was able to stick it out. Most people would have panicked at the sight of the injury and given up, but he'd figured out a sneaky way to use it to his advantage. Yes, he was injured, but here, he could turn my attack into a double-edged sword.

Blood is a liquid, as I learned, it was slippery.

I fell to the floor, flat on my back. The force of the blow sent me out of subarmor, which also made my sword vanish. I watched as my armor orbe rolled away, then got up to try and retrieve it. But my opponent stepped on my stomach. I cried out. My father grinned at me, laughing as he looked at me.

"This seems familiar," he said. His foot was still planted firmly on my stomach, he took the blade of the staff and pointed it at my neck. I breathed heavily, thinking it was the end. I closed my eyes, afraid of what was next. He'd killed my mother. Now he was going to kill me, too.

Instead of meeting the cold kiss of death, I felt a breeze. My father had sliced my shirt open! But why? He had already cut through my bra, exposing my breasts. I began to get an idea on what was going on. He was either going to molest me or mutilate me. Maybe both.

"Stop it! It's me you want, leave her alone!" Sage screamed. He then winced in pain. As much as Sage might've cared about me, there wasn't a thing he could do to stop my father. He was too weak from his injuries. _Sage, where did you even get those injuries? Did my father do this to you? Oh gee, that's an obvious question._

"You're much shapelier than your mother, Sam," said my father. "Much like my own mother. You inherited so much more from me than you did that from that woman." I tried to get away, but he increased the pressure on my stomach. I cried out in pain and defeat. Teary eyes looked at my father, but all I saw was the blurry image of him cackling evilly. 

SLASH!

I cried out in pain as I felt him slice deep into my stomach. It hurt so much! Blood gushed out of my wound as he continued to behave like the maniac he was. I stared at him, tears flowing from my eyes. This was the end. My father had dealt a deadly blow. Dear God, I was going to die.

"Sam! NO!" Sage screamed. 

"SAM!" Ella cried out. "Damion, stop!"

My aunt's cries didn't stop him. He drew a shallow cut down each of my breasts, making an extra slash on my left one. "We all know that 'x' marks the spot, right Sam?" he said. "Let's see how good my aim is." He raised his weapon high above me, ready to impale my heart and end my life.

That was when I saw Ella jump out of him from behind, obviously trying to get my father away from me- she'd been unable to save my mother, and now she wanted to save me. This took my father by surprise, giving me a chance to try and push myself away. But my stomach hurt too much. My chest hurt too much. I was going to die anyways, despite Ella's intervention

I heard a clinking sound and saw Sage had gotten out of his cage and was dragging himself over to where I laid. And at that, dragging himself with one arm. But I was beginning to loose consciousness. I was going to die, he couldn't possibly get to me in time. "Save your strength, Sage," I barely whispered (I doubt he heard me). "I'm not worth it."

I started to feel death take over me. I started to close my eyes, but I popped them open. "Good bye, world," I said softly, closing my eyes for what I thought would be the last time. I felt my life begin to slip slowly from my body. It was over. I'd given it my all, and I'd lost. I should be proud of that much.

Hmmmmmmm. . . 

I opened my eyes again. Something was warm on my stomach, but it wasn't from the blood. I saw Sage had draped an arm over my stomach, a warm glow secreting from the appendage. His head was on my chest, his blonde hair streaked with blood. "You're going to be okay," he said. "I won't let anything bad happen to you again."

"Sage. . ." I said. "You just. . ."

"As the bearer of the Armor of the Halo, your partner in arms, and your friend, I'm supposed to protect you from harm, as you're supposed to protect me," he said, his breath getting short. He flashed me a weak smile. "Don't give up, Sam. We're going to live through this."

I looked up to see Ella and my father was wrestling on the ground. My father had pinned her arms to the ground, snarling at her. Ella wasn't going to win that fight. There wasn't any way she'd be able to do it. And even though Sage was healing me, I was too weak to fight. I'd still lost a lot of blood. 

"Sage, how badly are you hurt?" I asked. 

"A few broken limbs," he said.

"Energy?"  
"Good, why?" Before he could say anymore, I put my hand on his forehead. I concentrated, throwing what remained of my energy into healing Sage. He had to fight my father. He was the only one who could do it. We couldn't sit around and hope that the others would find us. There just wasn't any time for that.

"Fight my father," I said. Sage stared at me. "You have to defeat him. Kill him if you have to, but just make sure he can't harm anyone ever again. I don't care what happens to him. He's a sick example of a person and he doesn't deserve to live. He killed my mother and his own parents- Ella's parents, my grandparents. Please. Do this. For me."

Sage slowly stood up, looked at me, and nodded dumbly. He pushed me over to the side. "Stay here," he said before transforming into subarmor and summoning his wings. The glossy green and yellow appendages flapped behind him, irately beating in time. "He's not going to get away from me."

~

Don't worry, loyal readers- only one chapter and the epilogue to go. Today, I have two people to answer questions to:

Winter: For now, Sam and Sage are not going to get together. If I do a prom story (IF being the key word there), Sage will probably take Sam as his date, but I think for now they're better off as good friends. Something Sage will have to face later on in life is whether or not he even decides to marry- he has to carry a pretty harsh secret on his shoulders in addition to being a Ronin Warrior. Does he want his offspring to share the same burden? It's really a Catch 22 situation for him as it stands. And no, Dixxy's loyal fan #1, I don't get tired of you reviewing as long as you ask questions and do more than just say "going to read the next chapter- good story!" like you used to do.

Musou Misora: I use a lot of ellipses, too. To me, they look better than just a "-" if you're trying to make someone pause and not just get cut off. As for Sam's father, well, I think it has to do with a lot of anger towards a lot of people. Anger towards his parents for keeping his heritage from him for so long, anger towards Talpa for killing his people, ect. Taking over the Mortal World is his way of channeling that anger. Would a yoga class have channeled the anger in a more positive way? Yes, but that story wouldn't be as interesting as this one, now would it?

~Dixxy


	12. Chapter Twelve

The Last Amazons

By Dixxy

Chapter Twelve: The Battle Ensues

(Sage)

I watched as Ella and Damion fought, neither ready to give up. Ella was losing badly, a few cuts on her arms. Despite the fact she was an Amazon, she was losing, and at that, badly. Damion had been in training with his powers for ten years. Ella had probably known about her powers for little more than an hour, two at most. 

I impatiently flapped my wings, getting Damion's attention. He dropped Ella, who had been in a choke hold. She grasped her neck and started to hack and cough. Seeing that I was ready to take care of the situation at hand, she stepped down and crawled over to where Sam was. Ella gently stroked Sam's forehead with the back of her hand, worried about her niece. My friend was covering her exposed breasts, looking on in a strange mix of fear and worry.

The two were going to be spectators to Damion either getting killed or making another killing. None the less, it was him or me, and if it was going to be him walking out of there, then I'd go down after giving him the best fight of his life- he wasn't getting out in one piece, even if he DID win.

"So. . . you're a Ronin Warrior, too, huh? I didn't expect that, though I suppose that if Sam is a Senshi it makes sense for her to have strange taste in boyfriends. I will give you one thing, though. You're brave boy. Stupid, but brave," said Sam's father. "So, ready to die, Fairy Boy?"

"You should talk!" I said. Sam's father grabbed another concealed weapon, a nice sized sword. He darted at me, swinging wildly. I used my wings to my advantage and flew upwards, avoiding his slices. He cried out angrily that I had gotten away. I looked down pleased with myself for making him angry.

"You're going to DIE, YOU DAMNED FLITTEREE!" he screeched. He took an upward slice that I flew to the right to avoid. Now he was getting REALLY mad! "THIS WILL BE THE DOWNFALL OF YOU AND YOUR ENTIRE DAMNED RACE! YOU AND YOUR DAMNED RONIN WARRIORS!"

And I was just starting!

"DIE!" SLICE! SWISH!

"Missed me!"

"YOU LITTLE-" SLICE! SWISH!  
"Can't hit a beach ball with a tennis racket!"

"DAMN IT YOU LITTLE SON OF A-" SLICE! SWISH!

"My near sighted grandmother has better aim than you do!"

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" SLICE SWISH!

"Missed me, missed me, now ya gotta kiss me!"

"OH, I'LL KISS YOU ALL RIGHT!" SLICE! SWISH! "DAMN IT!"

That, ladies and gentlemen, is the sound of an aggravated Amazon who has managed to wedge his weapon between two cement bricks. I grinned to myself and watched in amusement as he tried fruitlessly to free his blade from the wall. He grunted and groaned, but that blade would not budge.

"Aw. . . did the poor little Amazon get his sword stuck in the wall?" I teased. 

Damion turned to me, his eyes glowing red. I gulped and paled. Suddenly all of my taunting didn't seem like such a hot idea anymore. I had seen what that guy could do. Now he wanted to do that to me. I tried to figure out a way around him, hoping whatever I came up with worked. 

He raised his hands, preparing another blast of energy. I threw my hands up and created a light screen, hoping it would shield me from the attack that was about to come. _Block the energy, block the energy, please, for the love of Pete block the energy! _I thought to myself. 

BOOM!

The energy bounced off of my shield and hit Damion head on. The Amazon was sent flying through the cement wall, creating a nice sized hole. The blast threw me backward to where Sam and her aunt sat watching the fight. "Sage, are you okay?" asked Sam. By now Ella had given her some sort of button-up shirt to cover herself. "Are you hurt?"

"I'll be fine," I said. "Just a little razzled from that last hit."

"Be careful," said Ella. "You're the last of your kind!"

"We don't know that," I said, thinking about the Flitteree woman Kento and Keisha had told me about, Celeste. If she'd been able to escape at four, then maybe I wasn't the only one left after all. And at that, we didn't know what happened to Celeste after the Hardrocks had their encounter with her. 

"Sage, you're also the bearer of the Armor of the Halo AND the main carrier of the Armor of the Soul! If you die, then we could all be SCREWED!!!" Sam said through very gritted teeth. "Please. For. The. Love. Of. God. Keep. Out. Of. Too. Much. TROUBLE!"

"Yes ma'am," I said. Just out of the corner of my eye I saw Damion coming back for another round. Time to look for a new strategy. I looked up at the walls and ceiling, watching as boxes and support beams began to shake. "Damn. The pressure from the blast is going to bring this place down on top of us." I dismissed my sword and grabbed Ella and Sam, one under each arm.   
"Sage, what are you-"

I made a mad dash for the hole in the wall, passing Damion on the way. Sam and Ella screamed as we exited through my accidentally made door. I dropped them off a safe distance away, then the three of us turned to watched as the old factory began to crumble and fall to the ground in a head of broken cement blocks. I watched in awe as the structure came down, amazed that Damion's magic and my shield had done that.

"Thank the Lord no one was in that building," said Ella.

"Except for Damion," I said. "But there's no way he survived that. Is there?"

Sam was eyeing the rubble. "I thought I saw something move."

I took in a deep breath, summoning my sword again. "Stay here," I said. 

My partner in arms snorted. "Like I'm going anywhere in my condition?"

"YOU stay out of trouble- you're injured and I don't want to see you get hurt any more," I said. I turned to the rubble, gulped, and took a step towards the rubble. I swallowed again and took another step. Slowly, but steadily, I took nervous step after nervous step closer and closer still to the remains. 

Suddenly, the pile erupted from underneath as Sam's father emerged in a fit of pure fury. "DEATH TO THE FLITTEREE!" He was glowing in a bright, black hue, his form protruding with energy. I screamed and put up another light screen, hoping it would hold out.

CRASH! BAM!

It didn't.

"SAGE!"

I crashed into a tree. It was then I learned the hard way that having wings makes a hit to your spine all the more painful. I fell to the ground, and, see I wasn't paralyzed, got up. I was going to have to get serious. I wasn't going to provoke him and dodge him. I was going to blast every last cell in his body to kingdom come.

I flew up high where he couldn't hit me easily. That gave me an advantage, because I was closer to my element of lightning AND my aim isn't half bad when I'm fifty feet off the ground. Now I just had to decide if I was going to use Ronin magic or Flitteree magic.

"GET DOWN HERE!!!!"

Flitteree magic would be an extremely ironic thing to bring him down. It would bring honor to my ancestors and any other Flitteree who might've somehow escaped the assault on the last city. Bring honor to Celeste, the very reason I was even alive. If she hadn't saved me, who knew what would have happened to me?

"I MEAN IT!!!"

On the other hand, I knew exactly how to use my Ronin powers, where their limits were, and I had a better idea on how much I could do with them. They are also much more controlled- my Flitteree magic was extremely wild and I didn't have as much control over it.

"YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

Both of them revolved around lightning, thunder, and light, so element wasn't an issue. No matter which kind of power I chose to use, Damion was still going to get electrocuted. I had only to decide which spells to use. Which would be more effective and more justifiable?

"YOU'RE GOING TO BE DEADER THAN A DOOR-NAIL!"

"Is that even a word?" I asked (Dixxy's note: *flips through dictionary* nope, not a word).

"I DON'T CARE IF IT'S A WORD! I'LL INVENT IT!"

I grinned, coming up with my strategy. I was going to combine the best of both worlds and combine the two powers. The only catch was that I didn't know if that was a good idea or a bad idea. But, then again, it was my only chance to win the fight. I began to form an energy ball between my hands, Damion still cursing and swearing below me. 

"GET DOWN HERE AND FIGHT LIKE A MAN!"

The ball was done. I raised it above my head and murmured a chant that I done several times while in Trulpa's clutches. I had to summon a thundercloud. Right on schedule, a nice sized thunderhead sat over me, waiting like an anxious puppy to fulfill its duty. "Good boy," I said. 

"I'M WARNING YOU! YOU'RE JUST DIGGING YOU OWN GRAVE!"

"And you've just carved out your headstone!" I called back. "I CALL APON THE POWERS OF THE ARMOR OF THE HALO! I CALL APON THE POWERS OF MY PEOPLE! **_THUNDERHEAD_**!!!!!!" The thundercloud cracked, lighting up the dark sky as a bolt of lightning struck my energy ball and my wings. I concentrated on my extra appendages and forced the electricity through my arms and into the energy ball. I screamed as my world suddenly went bright white. . .

~

"Sage!" 

"C'mon, Blondie, get up!"

"I resemble that remark, Tubbo!"

"Tubbo?! Who're you calling 'Tubbo', you Australian bimbo?!"

I opened my eyes, looking around. I saw the sky above me, still glistening with stars and the moon against the dark blue-violet backdrop. I blinked. Was I still alive? "Sage, you okay?" I looked towards the source of the voice and saw Keisha sitting by me, cross legged as she pressed the back of her hand to my forehead.

"Keisha?" I asked. "What are you- SAM! ELLA!" I sat up, frantically looking for Sam and her aunt. I sighed with relief to see Sam arguing with Kento, Ella watching them with a somewhat annoyed look on her face as they traded insults (some of which were very colorful).

"They're fine- Sam's got most of her energy back and Ella wasn't badly scratched up at all," said Keisha. She smiled, giving me a thumbs up. "You really saved the day back there, Sage. Just be careful when you use that kind of magic- you could've died."

"And Damion?" I asked. Keisha pointed to a circle of scorched pavement. My eyes widened. That black stain on the ground was all that was left of Damion. Not so much as a tooth remained of him. _I obliterated him. There isn't anything left. I killed him. I killed someone! _"I actually-"

"There wasn't any other choice," she said. "You did what you had to do." Keisha turned to the still arguing Ronins. "Now I have to do what I have to do." She stood up, cleared her throat, and began to scream at Kento and Sam. Both hung their heads like misbehaving children and took the tongue lashing with as much dignity as they could muster.

"At least this one's all over and done with. Too bad we didn't get any of the action." I turned around to see Rona had been silently watching the whole argument from a piece of the rubble. _She's so quiet and stealthy. . . just like Rowen. Is that one of the traits of the Strata armors?_

"How long have you been there?"  
"Long enough to prevent you from being street pizza," she said, turning her head to face me. "After you sent that attack out on Damion, you fainted. Right in mid air. You're damned lucky I was able to get up there fast enough to save your butt, Sage old boy."

I shrugged. "I figured that."

Rona offered her hand to me and pulled me to my feet. "Sam and Ella told us the rest."

I lowered my head. "But I killed someone. I killed Sam's father!"

"She would've done the same to him. Don't you see, Sage? The man killed his own parents and his wife. He had it coming," she said. I hung my head, still feeling guilty. "If you hadn't killed him, then he would've killed you and Sam would have been next on his list."

"I still feel bad about it," I said.

Rona placed a hand on my shoulder. "My virtue is life. My virtue makes me realize just how precious of a gift life is and how sad it is to see a life waste away or taken away. It's part of me, just like Wisdom is a part of you. But even though I don't like death, there are times when it has to be done."

I folded my arms. "You sure?"  
"Positive. Now, let's go find an all-night ice cream parlor and get some ice cream," said Rona, closing her eyes as she gave me a really big cheeky grin. "If you ask me, there's nothing better than a big, juicy strawberry sundae after beating the living daylights out of a bad guy, and you look like you need a double hit of the whipped cream right about now."

"Do they even have all night ice cream parlors?" I asked.

"They'd better have them," said Rona. "Now let's go get ice cream!"

~

Another chapter, another round of answering your questions/comments/marriage proposals:

Harry: *blushes* Why, thank you! As for the Sam/Sage thing, it's really up in the air. I may or may not have them get together later on. What I might do is something similar to the idea used in "My Best Friend's Wedding" where the two parties involved promise to marry each other if they aren't married by a certain age. As for Mia. . . gee, I never really thought about that. Thanks for the food for thought.

Musou Misora: Yes, yoga classes are the answer here (but Lord knows anger management would help, too). As for the number two fan thing, you gave me an idea. If you look at my bio under my profile, you will find something that says "My Top Ten Fans List". Notice that Winter is in the top spot and you are in the second spot. I'll decide rankings number 3-10 later.

Winter: Ah, my number one fan. Sure, I'll see what I can do about reading them. Um, sometime. Maybe. When I have time. *sweatdrops* School sucks. . . As for the unrevised editions. . . uh. . . I saved over a lot of them? Heh, heh. . . don't worry, Winter, if you're looking for romance, you will like _A Tale of Two Torrents_ and you will absolutely ADORE TO DEATH _Dark Chocolate, White Diamonds_, because they're almost pure romance (with butt monsters and demon worshipping clans thrown in, of course ^_^).

Only the epilogue to go. The epilogue is all new content and may/may not change the storyline a little bit. It depends on whether or not I decide to use an idea I've been toying with the past few days.

Oh! Today is May 20, 2002 (that's when I posted this chapter for those of you who are going to read this a few years from now). Today is my website's second birthday! Yay!

~Dixxy


	13. Epilogue

The Last Amazons

By Dixxy

Epilogue

(Sam)

We didn't go out for ice cream like Rona wanted. With the condition that Ella and I were in? Hell no! We all went home to try and heal up. Sage went home with me and Ella so he and I could heal each other. Overall, it had turned out to be a very, very long night. We were all tired and ready to crash.

When we finally got to talk to the Torrents, Anubis, and Ria on Friday morning, Ria and Sara verbally voiced their disappointment. "We missed a fight? You guys got into a tangle without us?" Ria complained. "I would've LOVED to whip the Amazon into a million pieces!"

"Amazons are very dangerous creatures, Ria," said Anubis. He turned to me. "Sam?"

"I'm all right," I said. "I don't know what to think of my heritage, though."

"Well, Anubis did say that Amazons were raised to be evil," said Sage. "I don't think any of us see you as anyone BUT Samantha Thomas. You're still our friend and just because you found out you aren't one hundred percent human doesn't change a thing between you and any of us."

"Did you two go out on a date last night?" asked Cye.

"We're just gonna be friends," I said. "Yeah, Sage is cute, but. . . anything I might've felt for him was just a stupid crush. No offense, Sage. We talked about it last night and we've decided that really good friends is the way to go."

Kento nodded. "Hey, whatever works."

"So, unless there's anything else that's going on, should we break for lunch?" asked Anubis.

"PIZZA!" Keisha cried out enthusiastically. We were all taken aback by the sudden outburst, especially Kento. Kento stared at Keisha dumbly before she giggled, pounced on him, and rubbed her nose against his.

In response, Kento licked her nose.

"EWWWW! KENTO!" she cried out, jumping away from him. Kento laughed, getting out from under her. He stuck his tongue out at her, slurping at the air. Keisha yelled at him and took off after her boyfriend, who was guffawing at her. It didn't take too long before she caught him.

"Aw c'mon, Keisha. . . let me go. . ." we heard Kento plead.

"Nuh-uh-uh!" she said. "I have to think of an appropriate punishment for you, Kento. Something that will make you ever want to do that again. Have any suggestions?"  
"Let me go and take my word for it?"

"They're cute together," said Sara, who was looking over the back of the couch at the pair. She sat back down in the normal fashion, "She's got him pinned to the ground. She's straddled his waist and I think she's pinned his floor. He ain't going ANYWHERE until she decides he can go somewhere."

"Ah, perfect, Tiger Lily," we heard Keisha say. A minute or so passed before we heard Kento scream, then start to laugh and beg Tiger Lily to "stop". Keisha walked back into the living room. She turned to Ria, a grin on her face. "Thanks, Ria. Tiger Lily is punishing Kento for me."

"What's she doing to him?" asked Ria.

"She's giving him a bath."

~

After going home for a little bit, I decided to head back to Mike's mansion to see the boys again. Sage and Kento were supposed to have gotten their official feedback on the football team that day and I'd forgotten to ask about it at the meeting. That gave me a decent enough excuse to go over there.

When I got there, I discovered Kento had changed clothing and he, Sage, and, surprisingly enough, Cye, were all huddled around the living room coffee table, talking to each other in what I assumed to be Japanese. Kento and Cye were yapping at Sage and he kept looking at the other two, an irritated look on his face as he spoke something I vaguely recognized as a threat my mother used to use on me.

"Hi guys," I said. "What are you doing?"

Kento waved at me. "Hey, Sam."

"Well, after much pestering from Ria, we've finally decided to write to Ryo and Rowen to tell them that we're alive," said Cye. "Since Sage has the best penmanship between the three of us, he's doing the writing while we tell him what to write."

"I've seen your handwriting, Cye, it's really nice," I said.

"Not when he's using the Japanese kanji system," said Sage. "It's barely legible."

"Oh," I said, sitting down. "What are you telling them?"

"Well, for one, that we're still alive," said Kento. "Second, we're saying that we're with you guys- the Senshi- and Anubis, who was brought back to life to train you girls. We're still debating over whether or not to mention the Age of Legends, not to mention our location."

"Well," I said, "I think it depends on what you feel is best for your situation."

"Really?" said Cye.

"Yes. Think about the pros and cons of what to tell and what not to tell," I said. "For one, the Age of Legends is a definitely good idea. For all we know they're walking through walls or causing things to spontaneously combust. If they are, they have no idea WHY they're doing that. Explain the Age of Legends to them and then they'll know what's going on."

"All right," said Sage. "Now, how about pictures?"  
"Of what?" I asked.

"Us. Anubis. You girls. Buildings around here. That kind of stuff," said Kento.

"Sure!" I said. "And tell them to send pictures BACK! I want to see what Ryo and Rowen look like, though I probably don't want to know as badly as Ria and Rona do." I sighed heavily. "You should see those two. They're going through muscle magazines and pointing at different men. 'I bet THIS is Ryo!' 'Yeah, well THIS is Rowen!' It's pathetic."

"So we've seen," said Kento. "I 'd hate to inform Rona, but Rowen's a twig."

I laughed. "What?"

"So he's a little on the skinny side, at least he isn't a human skeleton," said Sage. He put his pen down and showed me the paper. "I know you can't read this, but this is pretty much all we have right now. In addition to our failed drafts, that is." I noticed a few crumpled up pieces of paper lying around the three of them, obviously copies they had not been pleased with.

"How many words is it?" I asked.

"Um," said Cye, taking the paper from Sage. He scanned over the paper, trying to translate it into something I would be able to understand. I took that opportunity to sit down, stealing a handful of popcorn from their bowl. "Maybe about a hundred, I'd say. Two, maybe three paragraphs."

"Okay, what have you covered?" I asked.

"First off, it says that we're alive," said Sage. "Then we go on to say we're sorry about taking so long to contact them- we really couldn't. The first seven or eight months we were captive, and when Kento escaped he was kept pretty busy by Shinshu. Then we had to deal with Cye's brainwashing and the Under City. We've spent the past five weeks or so settling in and getting ready for school and what not."

"How much of what you just told me did you include in the letter?"

"Nothing but the fact we're sorry we couldn't get to them earlier- we're trying to figure out how to explain it," said Kento. "I mean, this is going to come as a shock to them- Oh! Put that in. 'This must come as a shock to you, but it's true- we are alive'. That sounds good!"

"I have an idea," I said. "Write it up in English on the computer and have the rest of us look it over so we can see how well written it is. Then translate it back into Japanese, if you guys can do that. We can act all stupid and ask you guys questions that you'll need to answer in the letter."

"Brilliance! I knew they gave you the Wisdom armor for a reason!" said Kento.

I raised my fist to the bearer of Hardrock. "Do you value your life?"

"You think I'm scared of you, Sam? You couldn't lay a hand on me," said Kento.

I turned to Sage. "Sage, please add this into the letter. 'Cye and I are alive. Unfortunately, Kento met his end at the hands of a very angry and offended Amazon human hybrid who because he was dumb enough to insult my fighting ability and my intelligence." Kento's eyes widened at the comment as I took off after him.

~

When I got home later than evening, Ella wasn't home. But that was all right. I'd just heat up a frozen pizza or something for dinner. She wouldn't mind the artificial cheese and tomato goodness that one can only get from frozen pizzas. I sure wouldn't. I hadn't had a real meal since that morning at breakfast.

The other Senshi and I had helped the boys figure out how to word their letter to the other two who were back in Japan, all of us adding in some suggestions. Cara and Anubis helped as well, Cara taking some photos and Anubis recommending some other add-ins, though we had to explain him he couldn't send an Orange Julius through the mail. It was kind of funny, though.

I sighed heavily as I went into my room. I stripped down to my underwear and threw a T-shirt and a pair of plaid shorts on before crawling under the covers. I sat up, bracing my back up against the headboard. I sighed heavily, thinking over how the past few days had spanned out.

_You aren't human, Sam. You're a hybrid,_ I thought to myself. _What does this mean?_

I rolled over, attempting to reach for the lights to turn it out. I paused, however, feeling somehow. . . lonesome. I sat up, smiling to myself. I knew what was bothering me, and it had a very simple fix. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and walked over to my closet door.

I tore through miscellaneous debris for a few minutes until I found what I was looking for. I put my hands on it, placing it carefully in my lap. I ran my hands over the told memory, old stains still lying within its fur. Even after ten years, Katie the Kangaroo was still stained with my mother's blood.

I stood up, clutching Katie in my arms. I hadn't played with or slept with the old toy since my father killed my mother, and I got a sudden urge to keep it with me. I sat on my bed, running the back of my hand over stuffed animal, knowing what it symbolized. The loss of my youth. The loss of my innocence. The loss of my own mother.

Most of my innocence is gone.

It was my job to protect the innocence of others, now. . .

~

So, what did you think? I'll post up any remaining questions you guys leave after this chapter in the prologue of the next story, which is either going to be a variation of _Oh, Lucky Me_ or _A Tale of Two Torrents_.

Musou Misora: Well. . . I'm not sure which is next, either *sweatdrops*.

Kar-chan: Yeah, I think Sage and Rona will be decently close friends. Eventually he gets a motorcycle, too, though his getting the motorcycle is overshadowed by something not so pleasant that happens to Keisha. . . what pictures were stupid? You've lost me there!

That's all for now. Until I get the next story out. . . um. . . go read End of Innocence v2.0. yeah! That's it!

~Dixxy


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